NEW EDITION
Emil Milan: Midcentury Master
The first publication dedicated to Emil Milan: artist, designer, and woodworker who was at the forefront of midcentury modern design.
9 X 11 IN. | 272 PAGES | HARDBACK
STANDARD EDITION – $65 | LIMITED EDITION – $189 | COLLECTOR'S EDITION – $449
PUBLISHER: The Center for Art in Wood in collaboration with the Emil Milan Research Project
“This is a beautiful book in every sense—the design, photographs, and storytelling.”
—Woodcarving Illustrated Magazine
OVERVIEW
Emil Milan: Midcentury Master is the first biography dedicated to woodworker Emil Milan (American, 1922–1985). Milan was a highly influential designer, artist, and craftsman, and a major contributor to the studio craft movement in the United States. Milan’s signature designs of bird sculptures and fish- and leaf-shaped bowls, trays, and serving ware represent the essence of midcentury modern design and are collected by individuals and museums alike. His work was exhibited alongside well known artists such as Wharton Esherick, Sam Maloof, Wendell Castle, Charles Eames, George Nakashima, and Bob Stocksdale (among others). This publication is filled with stories, artifacts, and photographs and represents the largest compilation of Milan’s work, including dozens of his finest creations. It illuminates his process, methods, and teaching practices, as well as the warmth and humor of his unforgettable personality.
This publication aims to move Emil Milan further out of obscurity, to his rightful place in American art history.
Learn more about the artist in the bio section at the bottom of this page.
Awards
First Prize | 2018 | Exhibition Catalogues
American Alliance of Museums Publications Design Competition
AAM website
Regional Winner | 2018 | Editorial Books, Midwest Region
Print Regional Design Awards
Published in The Best of Design, Spring 2019
Gold Medal | 2018 | Regional Non-Fiction Books, Mid-Atlantic
Independent Publisher Book Awards
IPPY website
Winner | 2018
Creative Quarterly 53 magazine
Published in January 2019 issue
AVAILABLE EDITIONS
Specifications for all versions
9 x 11 in. | 272 pages | Hardback, smyth-sewn | 4-color stochastic printing | Printed on 157gsm Mei Ji Ya Yin paper | Printed endpapers | Nearly 300 color illustrations
Standard Edition | $65
ISBN: 978-0-9729943-8-5
Red, foil-stamped, fabric spine
Soft fabric spine that allows the book to lay virtually flat
Limited Edition | $189
LOW QUANTITY REMAINING | EDITION OF 200
ISBN: 978-0-9729943-9-2
Cherry veneer wood slip case.
The back of the slip case is adorned with a laser-etched Emil Milan quote.
Includes signature plate hand signed by the members of the Emil Milan Research Team and hand stamped with an impression of Milan's own signature, carefully reproduced from the base of one of his artworks. This is the closest you will get to an actual signature from the artist.
Exposed, thread-sewn binding that allows the book to lay virtually flat
Collector’s Edition | $449
This collector’s edition is for the true Milan lover and book collector alike.
It has all the same features as the Limited Edition including a one-of-a-kind Milan wood keepsake.
Download a pdf of the Collector's Edition info sheet for more detailed information about the available pieces of wood.
LOW QUANTITY REMAINING | EDITION OF 15
ISBN: 978-0-9997492-0-3
The collector’s Edition includes all the features of the Limited Edition including the wood slip case and letterpress signature plate.
Includes a one-of-a-kind Milan wood keepsake made out of a piece of wood collected from Emil Milan’s workshop in Thompson, Pennsylvania after his death. The keepsake is laser etched with a quote attributed to Milan. It can be hung on a wall, placed on a shelf, or adorn a desk. It is truly a rare Milan collectable. The purchaser will be able to personalize the item by selecting the piece of wood along with the Milan quote to be etched on its surface.
The back of each keepsake is laser etched with documentation of its origin.
Additional Emil Milan Inspired Products
Postcards | $20
A set of ten 5 x 7 inch, beautifully printed postcards featuring Milan artwork, photos, and inspired designs. Frame them, post them on your wall, or mail to your friends and family.
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EMIL MILAN BIO
BORN: MAY 17, 1922 | DIED: APRIL 5, 1985
Emil Milan was an American woodworker known for his carved bowls, trays, birds, and other accessories and art in wood. Trained as a sculptor at the Art Students League of New York, his life story straddles the 20th Century and is woven into major U.S. and world events including the Industrial Revolution, Great Depression, WWII, the GI Bill, the Cold War, midcentury modern design, and the rise of the studio craft movement in America.
Milan was at the forefront of midcentury modern design with the world’s leading artists and designers of the times. His work distills the very essence of modern design as applied to functional wares in wood. He contributed to the rise of the studio craft movement in America following WWII. He also played a part in the emergence and growth of the American Craft Council, regional craft organizations including New Jersey Designer Craftsmen and Craftsmen of the Endless Mountains, and Peters Valley School of Craft. His work also helped shape the American craft collection of the Smithsonian Institution, and what is now the Museum of Arts and Design in New York City.
Participating in many woodworking, craft, and design exhibits of his day, Milan’s works are in the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the Yale University Art Gallery, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, The Center for Art in Wood, the Museum of Arts and Design, and many private collections. Once prominent in midcentury modern design, Milan slipped into obscurity after his death. His legacy has been revived by the Emil Milan Research Team’s extensive biographical research project that has led to renewed interest in his life, work, and influence.
NEW EDITIONS EMIL MILAN: MIDCENTURY MASTER MASAAKI HATSUMI: DOJO GIGA | HEAVEN