Ruth Adler Schnee's Textiles

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Pioneering modern designer Ruth Adler Schnee’s bold textiles have broad appeal. Her furnishing and drapery fabrics were favorites of the everyday consumer and leading architects alike, including Minoru Yamasaki, Paul Rudolph, and Buckminster Fuller. Adler Schnee’s textiles, which feature vivid color and abstracted organic forms, added whimsy and depth to the sleek, minimal aesthetic popular in the mid-century period.

Detailed Description

"Pins and Needles" Fabric Swatch Designed by Ruth Adler Schnee, 1949-1964

Swatch

Ruth Adler Schnee’s upbringing features a cast of design icons. Her mother studied at the Bauhaus, a revolutionary German design college, and she played in the studio of artist Paul Klee as a child. After fleeing Nazi Germany, Adler Schnee attended the Rhode Island School of Design and Cranbrook Art Academy. She even worked in Raymond Loewy’s office, where her desk was sandwiched between architect Minoru Yamasaki and designer Warren Plattner.