During its 14-year tenure, Modernism Week’s focus has grown to include a dizzying buffet of categories and subcategories – architecture, films, books, fashion, music, interior and landscape design, art, automobiles, history and more.
Along the way Modernism Week has continued to keep its edge by always raising the bar with new, engaging events.
No worries, modernists — Modernism Week 2018 will be no exception. Here is a snapshot of some of the new offerings set to start Feb. 15 through 25.
Palm Springs Modern Design Expo
Feb. 16–19
If you’ve attended the Modernism Show & Sale at the Palm Springs Convention Center, now in its 18th year, you know that this event is ground zero for collectors and aficionados of midcentury modern and vintage furnishings, objets d’art, jewelry, artwork, and more.
For 2018, Dolphin Promotions is bringing collectors’ dreams full circle with the Palm Springs Modern Design Expo, a companion event at the Palm Springs Convention Center. The expo will serve as a fabulous counterpoint to the Modernism Show & Sale by focusing on new and contemporary design/living concepts. With this event, the producers are bringing the 20th and 21st centuries together under one roof.
This inaugural event, sponsored by Monogram, will showcase the newest trends in design and technology, with 40 exhibitors presenting cutting-edge elements for modern living, including dynamic and energy-efficient building materials, appliances and smart-home electronics, hand-crafted furniture and design accessories, and contemporary art and photography.
And the best part? This is a two-for-one experience: Your $20 admission ticket gets you into both shows, which will be in adjacent spaces at the convention center connected by a stylish lounge.
Modernism Fashion Show: “Spanning the Decades”
Feb. 18, 2–3:30 p.m.
Celebrate the original fashionistas at the Modernism Fashion Show, with vintage creations by Coco Chanel, Emilio Pucci, Christian Dior, and Pierre Cardin.
Guests will experience a thrilling retrospective of iconic styles through the 1970s.
Modernism Week has spread its wings in recent years to include fashion.
Mitchells Palm Springs and M Vintage have expertly curated this chic event to showcase the bold style of early modernist fashion design that still resonates with contemporary fashionistas.
Temple Isaiah’s Warsaw Grand Ballroom in Palm Springs will host and serve bubbly and biscuits.
Luxury Alfa Romeo Chauffeured Experience: Feb. 18, 1–5 p.m.
Experience la dolce vita with a modernism tour in a snazzy, chauffeur-driven Alfa Romeo Stelvio SUV. One of the Modernism Week 2018 luxury brand sponsors, Alfa Romeo will offer an elegant VIP experience, starting with a glass of Prosecco and continuing on for a signature tour.
You can ride in this Alfa Romeo Stelvio SUV and receive a tour of four featured architectural styles.
Your personal driver will take you to six featured homes, whose architecture, interiors, gardens and grounds capture Palm Springs’ distinctive aesthetic via a variety of architectural styles – from midcentury modern to desert contemporary and new-century modern. For $750, you and two special friends will enjoy your sexy Alfa Romeo and driver for the entire afternoon, along with a private reception hosted by the car company.
Architecture Design Art Film Series
Feb. 23–25
Modernism Week 2018 will be the start of a partnership with the American Documentary Film Festival to create the Architecture Design Art Film Series.
The inaugural Architecture Design series will feature several premieres, including Frey: Part 1 – The Architectural Envoy, the first of a much-anticipated two-part film by Jake Gorst on Palm Springs modernist architect Albert Frey that features interviews with several local authorities on the master.
The series will feature 26 features, documentaries, and short films, to be screened at Camelot Theater in Palm Springs.
PHOTO COURTESY PALM SPRINGS HISTORICAL SOCIETY
A classic example of Albert Frey's work — the Tramway gas station that is now the Palm Springs Visitor's Center as you enter the city from Interstate 10 on Palm Canyon Drive.
Hollywood Revisited:
A Glamorous Musical
Theater Extravaganza
Feb. 22, 6–8 p.m.
Once again, Modernism Week 2018 organizers are thinking outside the box. This event will celebrate the halcyon days of the 1940s-1960s, with a captivating synthesis of film, music, and fashion under the direction of Greg Schreiner, a concert pianist and collector of classic movie costumes.
This night of nostalgia will take place at the Annenberg Theater and will feature notable vocalists performing song and dance routines while wearing costumes Schreiner has collected over the years, made famous by Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor, and Mae West, among others.
Schreiner will accompany the performances on piano. Michael Feinstein, a celebrated pianist in his own right, has commented on the production: “Hollywood Revisited brought not only show-stopping gorgeous costumes to our concert stage, they also infused the night with the grandeur associated with the golden age of cinema.”
For details and tickets, visit modernismweek.com