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Overview – A Dark, A Light, A Bright: The Designs of Dorothy Liebes
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aria-expanded="false"> <span class="hamburger__line hamburger__line--1"></span> <span class="hamburger__line hamburger__line--2"></span> <span class="hamburger__line hamburger__line--3"></span> </a> </div> </div> </div> </div> </header> <main id="application-wrapper" class="application-wrapper" tabindex="0"> <div class="site-container page-content"> <div class="container-fluid"> <div class="row"> <div class="col-md-8 order-1 order-md-0"> <h1 class="jumbo text-uppercase mb-3">A Dark, A Light, A Bright: The Designs of Dorothy Liebes</h1> <div class="default-styles medium-body-text mb-8"> <p>Designer and weaver Dorothy Liebes (1897–1972), who introduced handcraft and brilliant color to the modern interior, was among the most influential designers of the 20th century. This digital platform explores how the “<a href="https://exhibitions.cooperhewitt.org/dorothy-liebes/overview/?category=3#all-pages">Liebes Look</a>”—which combined vivid color, lush texture, and often a glint of metallic—became inextricably linked with the American modern aesthetic. Choose a topic to explore her impact on mid-20th-century <a href="https://exhibitions.cooperhewitt.org/dorothy-liebes/overview/?category=8#all-pages">interiors</a>, <a href="https://exhibitions.cooperhewitt.org/dorothy-liebes/overview/?category=6#all-pages">fashion</a>, <a href="https://exhibitions.cooperhewitt.org/dorothy-liebes/overview/?category=6#all-pages">film</a>, and <a href="https://exhibitions.cooperhewitt.org/dorothy-liebes/overview/?category=5#all-pages">industrial design</a>, and meet some of the <a href="https://exhibitions.cooperhewitt.org/dorothy-liebes/overview/?category=7#all-pages">studio weavers</a> who contributed to the success of the Dorothy Liebes Studio.</p> </div> <div id="post-journey-items-wrapper" class="row"> <div id="post-journey-items" class="col" data-ajax-link="https://exhibitions.cooperhewitt.org/dorothy-liebes/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php?action=sandbox_get_journey"> <div style="min-height: 191px;"> <h2 class="h2-display text-uppercase">Your journey so far</h2> <div class="mt-2">Loading...</div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="row small-gutters mt-8 mb-3" name="all-pages" data-smooth-scroll-immediate="true"> <div class="col"> <h2 class="h2-display text-uppercase">All pages</h2> <div class="small-body-text"> <span class="highlight-indicator"></span>Your journey so far </div> </div> </div> <div class="row small-gutters"> <a href="https://exhibitions.cooperhewitt.org/dorothy-liebes/category/the-idea-factory/" class="col-12 category-grid-item-link mb-6" data-journey-trackable-id="9" data-journey-trackable-type="category"> <div class="category-grid-item-link__inner position-relative"> <div class="category-grid-item__name-wrapper d-flex flex-column align-items-center justify-content-center text-center p-3"> <div class="category-grid-item__name h2-display text-uppercase pt-2">The Idea Factory</div> </div> </div> <div class="medium-title theme-foreground-color text-shadow mt-2" data-journey-trackable-title></div> </a> <a href="https://exhibitions.cooperhewitt.org/dorothy-liebes/color/" class="col-6 col-md-4 col-xl-3 opacity-link mb-6" data-journey-trackable-id="115" data-journey-trackable-type="post"> <div class="background-image landscape-image-tall background-image lazy-image lazyload" style="background-image: url(data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==);" data-bg="https://exhibitions.cooperhewitt.org/dorothy-liebes/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2023/05/1972-75-1-Matt-Flynn-1-scaled-e1683903413873-682x1000.jpg" data-src-full="https://exhibitions.cooperhewitt.org/dorothy-liebes/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2023/05/1972-75-1-Matt-Flynn-1-scaled-e1683903413873.jpg"></div> <h3 class="post-grid-item__title medium-title theme-foreground-color text-shadow mt-2" data-journey-trackable-title><p>Color</p> </h3> <div class="post-grid-item__labels tiny-title" style="margin-top: 2px;"> The Idea Factory, Object Group </div> </a> <a href="https://exhibitions.cooperhewitt.org/dorothy-liebes/glitter-2/" class="col-6 col-md-4 col-xl-3 opacity-link mb-6" data-journey-trackable-id="1070" data-journey-trackable-type="post"> <div class="background-image landscape-image-tall background-image lazy-image lazyload" style="background-image: url(data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==);" data-bg="https://exhibitions.cooperhewitt.org/dorothy-liebes/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/01/08EA21CC54042_03-750x1000.jpg" data-src-full="https://exhibitions.cooperhewitt.org/dorothy-liebes/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/01/08EA21CC54042_03-scaled.jpg"></div> <h3 class="post-grid-item__title medium-title theme-foreground-color text-shadow mt-2" data-journey-trackable-title><p>Glitter</p> </h3> <div class="post-grid-item__labels tiny-title" style="margin-top: 2px;"> The Idea Factory, Object Group </div> </a> <a href="https://exhibitions.cooperhewitt.org/dorothy-liebes/materials/" class="col-6 col-md-4 col-xl-3 opacity-link mb-6" data-journey-trackable-id="231" data-journey-trackable-type="post"> <div class="background-image landscape-image-tall background-image lazy-image lazyload" style="background-image: url(data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==);" data-bg="https://exhibitions.cooperhewitt.org/dorothy-liebes/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2023/05/D36F31BA952F2_02-1-e1683908945786-1000x986.png" data-src-full="https://exhibitions.cooperhewitt.org/dorothy-liebes/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2023/05/D36F31BA952F2_02-1-e1683908945786.png"></div> <h3 class="post-grid-item__title medium-title theme-foreground-color text-shadow mt-2" data-journey-trackable-title><p>Materials</p> </h3> <div class="post-grid-item__labels tiny-title" style="margin-top: 2px;"> The Idea Factory, Object Group </div> </a> <a href="https://exhibitions.cooperhewitt.org/dorothy-liebes/conservation-analysis/" class="col-6 col-md-4 col-xl-3 opacity-link mb-6" data-journey-trackable-id="386" data-journey-trackable-type="post"> <div class="background-image landscape-image-tall background-image lazy-image lazyload" style="background-image: url(data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==);" data-bg="https://exhibitions.cooperhewitt.org/dorothy-liebes/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2023/06/Fig-4-1-1000x750.jpg" data-src-full="https://exhibitions.cooperhewitt.org/dorothy-liebes/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2023/06/Fig-4-1.jpg" data-caption="<p><strong> Fig. 4</strong> Pink weft fibers seen under crossed polars with first-order Red/530nm analyzer plate at 20x magnification; Photo: Cooper Hewitt Textile Conservation </p>"></div> <h3 class="post-grid-item__title medium-title theme-foreground-color text-shadow mt-2" data-journey-trackable-title><p>Synthetic Material Identification in Dorothy Liebes Samples at Cooper Hewitt</p> </h3> <div class="post-grid-item__labels tiny-title" style="margin-top: 2px;"> The Idea Factory, Essay </div> </a> <a href="https://exhibitions.cooperhewitt.org/dorothy-liebes/texture/" class="col-6 col-md-4 col-xl-3 opacity-link mb-6" data-journey-trackable-id="201" data-journey-trackable-type="post"> <div class="background-image landscape-image-tall background-image lazy-image lazyload" style="background-image: url(data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==);" data-bg="https://exhibitions.cooperhewitt.org/dorothy-liebes/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2023/05/1972-75-63-Matt-Flynn-3-1000x943.jpg" data-src-full="https://exhibitions.cooperhewitt.org/dorothy-liebes/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2023/05/1972-75-63-Matt-Flynn-3.jpg"></div> <h3 class="post-grid-item__title medium-title theme-foreground-color text-shadow mt-2" data-journey-trackable-title><p>Texture</p> </h3> <div class="post-grid-item__labels tiny-title" style="margin-top: 2px;"> The Idea Factory, Object Group </div> </a> <a href="https://exhibitions.cooperhewitt.org/dorothy-liebes/two-liebes-looms/" class="col-6 col-md-4 col-xl-3 opacity-link mb-6" data-journey-trackable-id="342" data-journey-trackable-type="post"> <div class="background-image landscape-image-tall background-image lazy-image lazyload" style="background-image: url(data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==);" data-bg="https://exhibitions.cooperhewitt.org/dorothy-liebes/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2023/06/fig-2-e1687841749248-1000x764.jpg" data-src-full="https://exhibitions.cooperhewitt.org/dorothy-liebes/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2023/06/fig-2-e1687841749248.jpg" data-caption="<p><strong> Fig. 2</strong> Dorothy Liebes with her Ram’s Head loom, ca. 1930; Dorothy Liebes Papers </p>"></div> <h3 class="post-grid-item__title medium-title theme-foreground-color text-shadow mt-2" data-journey-trackable-title><p>Two Liebes Looms</p> </h3> <div class="post-grid-item__labels tiny-title" style="margin-top: 2px;"> The 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