Alexander Girard: Let the Sun In

A comprehensive monograph exploring Alexander Girard’s vivid and dynamic design career

Alexander Girard was a leading figure in mid-century American design, bringing sensational color and pattern to the modernist aesthetic. Organized by discipline, this stunning monograph covers Girard’s prolific and groundbreaking output across textiles, furniture, interior design, graphic design, illustration, and architecture.

Favoring geometric patterns in as many palettes as possible, Girard is best known for his textiles series for design company Herman Miller and for his commercial interior projects, including La Fonda del Sol restaurant in New York and the Braniff International Airways rebrand.

Featuring more than 800 images, some of which have never before been published, this fascinating book covers Girard's wide-ranging impact on design, from textiles and wallpapers to painstakingly detailed interiors and curatorial projects. 

Extensively researched and thoughtfully assembled by designer Todd Oldham, in partnership with Girard Studio, the book features double gatefolds that immerse the reader in Girard's object design sketches, the vibrant environmental panels created for Herman Miller's Action Office project, his designs for Braniff International Airways, and his tireless explorations in textile design.

Review

‘Captures Girard’s love for color, pattern, and form, and is a must-own for anyone who admires his fearless approach to design.’ – Design Milk

‘No matter the format, Girard brought a signature playful optimism brimming with color. That production is celebrated in a blocky new monograph…that is as vibrant as its subject.’ – Dallas Morning News

About the Author

Todd Oldham is a photographer, author, and designer. Widely regarded as one of America’s top fashion designers in the 1990s, Oldham has since authored more than 20 books about artists and various design subjects, includingBest of Nest (Phaidon, 2020).

Kiera Coffee is a New York-based writer and has spent more than a decade writing about design. She has worked for publications such as Interiors, Nest, and Martha Stewart Living amongst others.