Henry Wolf lecture, 1998 December 8
Scope and Contents
Dean of Parsons School of Design Randy Swearer introduces Henry Wolf, calling him "revolutionary," and "an architect" of design. He describes Wolf as equally impactful in the worlds of photography and design, as well as deeply influential within the institution of Parsons itself. In reflecting on his fity-plus year career in design, Wolf asks himself and the audience "why me?" Along the way, he gives a kind of informal history of the magazine world (he worked for Esquire and Show, and shows slides of his magazine work over the years.)
An exhibition of Wolf's photographs corresponds with the lecture series. Wolf delivers a very detailed autobiography, incluing a discussion of his rejection from (and subsequent teaching appointment at) Cooper Union, his night classes at The New School, and his time in World War II. Wolf jokes that "Hitler threw me out of Vienna," noting that he later joined the US Army. While in the Army, Wolf was stationed in Japan and found his time there particularly influential upon his relationship to color and perspective.
Dates
- 1998 December 8
Extent
1 1/4 inch Audio Cassette (Total duration of 01:29:47)
Biographical note
Henry Wolf (1925-2005) was an Austrian-American graphic designer, art director and photographer. Wolf received his education in Paris, New York City’s School of Industrial Art (1940s), and studied at the New School for Social Research before joining the Army during World War II. In 1958, Wolf became art director of Harper's Bazaar and later was commissioned to create advertisement campaigns for major companies, including IBM, Xerox, RCA and Chiat/Day. In 1971, Wolf launched his own production company focusing on photography, film and design.
Wolf was a Parsons School of Design Communication Design Department faculty member for over two decades, serving as departmental vice chairman and later commissioner of the department’s scholarship program during the 1980s and 1990s. He was also a frequent lecturer at The New School in the late 1990s, and was awarded an honorary doctorate of fine arts from Parsons in 1996. He was appointed to the Parsons Board of Governors circa 1998.