{"product_id":"james-leonard-and-project-x-9781954600287","title":"James Leonard and Project X","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA rich and complex story of conflict between design and industry, and an unknown designer poised to revolutionize the world.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe\nintriguing life story of a self-taught engineer and designer who produced\nworld-class art in anonymity opens with the discovery of a rare 1948 catalogue\nof modern furniture. Working in the same British factory for 50 years, James\nLeonard used a\nrevolutionary cast aluminum process invented during World War II. His postwar \u003ci\u003eProject\nX\u003c\/i\u003e was so successful it established a monopoly within a year with\nstriking chairs and desks in British schools, imported by Knoll to the United\nStates. But his most beautiful design, the \u003ci\u003eX202\u003c\/i\u003e\n\"Armchair\" remains unknown. By contrast, the paired \"Student\nChair,\" the \u003ci\u003eX200\u003c\/i\u003e, sold over a million copies, the most\nsuccessful chair in British history. The central mystery of the chairs’\ncontrasting fates involves his boss's dismissal as 'unfit' at the peak of\nsuccess, the marvel of the \u003ci\u003eMosquito\u003c\/i\u003e fighter\/bomber,\nobsession with a winning racecar, mysterious double lives, a financial scandal,\nand the eternal battle between art and business. As Wyeth details Leonard's\ndouble life among the avant-garde and the unprecedented achievement of\n\u003ci\u003eProject X\u003c\/i\u003e, he reveals forces that compromise great art, just\nas he shows James Leonard to be a superlatively talented designer. To analyze\nhis designs requires an approach closer to TJ Clark on Cezanne or other art\nhistorical works that unfold a universe through small details, coincidences,\nand associations. This fascinating micro-history will intrigue the everyday\nreader as much as design historians and specialists.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAuthor\nPeter Wyeth has been called \u003cb\u003e\"the original forensic archaeologist\nof design, solving the crimes of under appreciation.\" \u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Peter Wyeth","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":49221906170107,"sku":"9781954600287","price":60.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0779\/3917\/9771\/files\/CoreSourceHub_4b7645c6-0a41-462a-aa5d-fcd9f7b227c9.jpg?v=1787697738","url":"https:\/\/indiepubs.com\/products\/james-leonard-and-project-x-9781954600287","provider":"IndiePubs","version":"1.0","type":"link"}