Van Day Truex

Van Day Truex (March 5, 1904 – 1979) was an American fashion designer.

Education

Van Day Truex grew up in Ohio until 1908 when his family moved to St. Anthony, Idaho. Because of a financial strain in his family, he was forced to be sent away to his aunt in Concordia, Kansas. At 19, he enrolled in the New York School of Fine and Applied Arts which later became Parsons School of Design. Truex was inspired by his aunt[1] who funded him financially through his college education. Although his major was in Advertising Art, he developed a passion for interior design.[1] In 1925 he arrived in Paris for his final year of schooling in design disciplines beyond advertising. In 1931, he was appointed assistant director for the Paris Parsons campus. In 1934 Truex became the director and president of Parsons.[1]

Career

Truex returned to the United States in 1939 when he became a supervisor at Yale and Towne Manufacturing. He was also offered a director’s position at Tiffany & Co. His style as a designer emphasized aesthetics over function.[2] He was not, in fact, interested in the mechanical process of materials, but rather the visual representation.[3] During a time when interior design was not as highly recognized, Truex gave a sense of quality and style that was driven by a motivated and controlled approach.[4]

Design legacy

Truex’s style continued to influence 20th century designers.[5] Scott Himmell designed a furniture line named after Truex called Truex American style.[6]

Truex also had a great influence in the fashion world during his time at Tiffany & Co..[7] He hired a French-born jewelry designer named Jean Schlumberger. Schlumberger designed a new look of mythological creatures from the sea and forest. Truex’s decision to employ Schlumberger impacted how Tiffany’s continued to establish the company as an iconic image.[8]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Lewis, Adam. 2001. Van Day Truex, the man who defined twentieth-century taste and style. New York: Viking.
  2. ↑ Truex, Van Day. 1980. Interiors, character and color. Los Angeles: Knapp Press
  3. ↑ "Oral History Interview with Van Day Truex, 1971 November 15." Archives of American Art. Smithsonian Institution, 15 Nov.
  4. ↑ "Oral History Interview with Van Day Truex, 1971 November 15." Archives of American Art. Smithsonian Institution, 15 Nov.
  5. ↑ Loring, John. 1979. "Van Day Truex: late Dean of twentieth-century American Design". The Connoisseur <London>. 232-235.
  6. ↑ "SCOTT HIMMEL | interior architecture and design". www.scotthimmel.com. Retrieved 2015-11-30.
  7. ↑ Alumni Association Parsons School of Design. 1966. Place Setting Designed by Van Day Truex for Tiffany & Co.
  8. ↑ Phillips,Clare. Bejewelled by Tiffany, 1837-1987. New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press in Association with Gilbert Collection Trust and Tiffany &, 2006.

External links

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