George Nelson (1908–1986) is one of the most important American designers of the second half of the 20th century. century. His work as chief designer for the American furniture manufacturer Herman Miller has gone down in American cultural history. It is far less well known, however, that George Nelson, as an exhibition manager and designer on behalf of the American government, conceived product presentations, thematic exhibitions, trade fair appearances – presented the American lifestyle in short from 1957 to 1972.


This sensationally illustrated monograph now presents the unknown side of Nelson's work in detail for the first time. The author has processed the Nelson Estate for this. He follows the designer to his early travels, sums up the formative influences and the rise to become a coveted designer. He also shows the industrially manufactured innovations that revolutionized exhibition furniture, and then describes in detail the exhibitions that Nelson realized in Sao Paulo or Moscow on behalf of the United States Information Agency. Eisenbrand's book is a treasure trove for those interested in design – and at the same time a case study of how innovative design was used in the Cold War as an instrument of US policy.


Text in German.