Cooper Hewitt says...
Russel Wright was one of the most important pioneers in American design, especially in his efforts to change how people live and relate to their domestic environment. Born in 1904 in Lebanon, Ohio, Wright never graduated from college or completed a formal degree in design. He studied law at Princeton University from 1922 to 1924, then took a course in architecture at Columbia University in 1923, and studied at the New York University School of Architecture from 1938 to 1939. From 1924 to 1932, Wright was engaged in stage and costume design. In 1930, he established his own factory for the production of aluminum and metal tableware. By 1933, Wright was working with established American manufacturers for everyday products. His 1938 "American Modern" line of modern dinnerware with Steubenville Pottery Company established his reputation. As Donald Albrecht wrote in his 2001 Cooper Hewitt exhibition, "Russel Wright: Creating American Lifestyle," Wright’s “inexpensive, mass produced dinnerware, furniture, appliances, and textiles were not only visually and technically innovative but were also the tools to achieve his concept of ‘easier living’, a unique American lifestyle that was gracious yet contemporary and informal.” With his wife, Mary Einstein, Wright co-authored A Guide to Easier Living in 1951. He was a founding fellow of the Society of Industrial Designers and its president from 1951 to 52. After his wife's death in 1952, Wright retired to Manitoga, his estate in Garrison, New York, which he renovated and restored. In 1996, Manitoga was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
