Pierre Kleykamp and L. Anton Maix Fabrics
Infinity
1949-1952
Scroll
Physical Qualities
Fortisan fiber (rayon), 71 1/4 x 47 in. (181 x 119.4 cm.)
Credit Line
Textile Acquisition Fund
Object Number
2004.74
Looking somewhat like a depiction of the molecular structure of carbon, but also reminiscent of a 19th century mosaic quilt, "Infinity" is a design that captures both the 1950s preoccupation with scientific research and its desire for familiar and safe surroundings. Dutch born Pierre Kleykamp was an architect as well as an industrial designer of furniture and fabrics. Kleykamp liked to work with modern materials such as melamine, aluminum, Formica, and linoleum for the interiors he created for Holland American Line and Royal Dutch Airlines. After moving to New York, he became a professor at the Cooper-Union and The New School and worked for Knoll, a leading company in contemporary design of offices and homes. It may have been at Knoll that he first met Lawrence Anton Maix.
A native of New York, Maix had been one of Knoll's early designers and was in some part responsible for helping the fledgling company become established. However, between 1948 and 1950, Maix realized a need for appropriate furnishing textiles for modernist interiors and left Knoll to found his own company, L. Anton Maix Fabrics. Maix hired designers such as Serge Chermayeff, Paul Rand, and Joel Robinson--the latter two winners of the Modern Museum of Art's "Good Design Awards." Throughout the1950s, Maix produced high-quality silkscreen printed textiles, such as "Infinity," designed by Kleykamp and printed on "Fortisan," a now obsolete term referring to a rayon fabric regenerated from cellulose acetate trademarked by the Celanese Company.
Baltimore Museum of Art by purchase, 2004; Giles Kotcher, Somerville, MA.
Alvin Lustig, "Modern Printed Fabrics," American Fabrics, 1956(?) pp 63-72 (?). includes illus of two fabric from the Campagna collection of L. Anton Maix, p. 67(?)
"Modernist Fabrics," American Fabrics," Winter,1951-52, No. 2, p. 72.
Interiors Magazine, (Nov. 1949), p. 271, p. 280.
Interiors (December 1948), advert. for Maix design by Ben Rose.
Interiors (Summer 1948 or 1949), photo Maix in showroom.
Interiors, (October 1949) advert. for Mil-Art, Inc. carried by Anton Maix of "Stimulus Collection."
(Note: xeroxes of some source provided by dealer without complete biblio info.)
Interiors (January 1954), "Interiors to come"), pp. 64-65, pp. 82--83.
Interiors (May 1955), "Letters to the Editors," p. 8.
interors (Dec 1951), p. 178, advert. for Maix featuring five designs that won "Good Design Award" from Museum of Modern Art.
Interiors, "Interiors' cover artists," (January and February 1951), p. 8, Pierre Kleykamp.
Interiors, Cover, Pierre Kleykamp (January, 1953).
Interiors, "Interors' cover artists" (March 1953, p. 8)
Interiors, "Washington Square kitchen by Pierre Kleykamp," (August 1958), p. 84.
Department of Design in Industry, Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston (Spring 1951), Maix fabric "Navajo" by Chermayeff and "Abacus" by Paul Rand. (Xeroxes provided by dealer with complete info.)
http://referencelibrary.blogspot.com/search?q=maix, 4/1/2009)Online REFERENCE LIBRARY, "Andy's Blog" includes examples of May fabrics, "Dot Fantasy", "Counterchange",
Giles Kotcher, Unpublished manuscript for article on life and work of L. Anton Maix. 18 pages type.
"Small research at MSU leads to advances in energy, electronidic, East Lansing MI, posted July 31, 2008. Illustration of a model of a carbon molecule. 3/31/2009.
http://www.coraginsburg.com/amaix.htm, Gora Geensburg LLC, "Nesting" by Don Smith for L. Anton Maix, printed linen,
"Modernist Fabrics," American Fabrics," Winter,1951-52, No. 2, p. 72.
Interiors Magazine, (Nov. 1949), p. 271, p. 280.
Interiors (December 1948), advert. for Maix design by Ben Rose.
Interiors (Summer 1948 or 1949), photo Maix in showroom.
Interiors, (October 1949) advert. for Mil-Art, Inc. carried by Anton Maix of "Stimulus Collection."
(Note: xeroxes of some source provided by dealer without complete biblio info.)
Interiors (January 1954), "Interiors to come"), pp. 64-65, pp. 82--83.
Interiors (May 1955), "Letters to the Editors," p. 8.
interors (Dec 1951), p. 178, advert. for Maix featuring five designs that won "Good Design Award" from Museum of Modern Art.
Interiors, "Interiors' cover artists," (January and February 1951), p. 8, Pierre Kleykamp.
Interiors, Cover, Pierre Kleykamp (January, 1953).
Interiors, "Interors' cover artists" (March 1953, p. 8)
Interiors, "Washington Square kitchen by Pierre Kleykamp," (August 1958), p. 84.
Department of Design in Industry, Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston (Spring 1951), Maix fabric "Navajo" by Chermayeff and "Abacus" by Paul Rand. (Xeroxes provided by dealer with complete info.)
http://referencelibrary.blogspot.com/search?q=maix, 4/1/2009)Online REFERENCE LIBRARY, "Andy's Blog" includes examples of May fabrics, "Dot Fantasy", "Counterchange",
Giles Kotcher, Unpublished manuscript for article on life and work of L. Anton Maix. 18 pages type.
"Small research at MSU leads to advances in energy, electronidic, East Lansing MI, posted July 31, 2008. Illustration of a model of a carbon molecule. 3/31/2009.
http://www.coraginsburg.com/amaix.htm, Gora Geensburg LLC, "Nesting" by Don Smith for L. Anton Maix, printed linen,
Inscribed: Printed in black on right selvage: "L. ANTON MAIX FABRICS - N.Y.C. - (copyright symbol)"
