The Viktor Schreckengost Century

Henry Adams, Modernism Magazine Vol. 8, no. 3, Fall 2005

The article by Henry Adams gives an excellent overview of Viktor's work, from the Jazz Bowl in the 1930s to mid-century dinnerware, pedal cars, sculptures, and even his late-career, forward-thinking acrobatic bicycles. Adams also describes Viktor's processes or ideas that revolutionized different industries and his overall philosophy of design. Concludes the author, "Serious recognition for the many American industrial designers of the mid-20th century has been slow to come. Today Schreckengost's work is well represented in museums, and his name is familiar to experts in the decorative arts, as well as to the many avid collectors of such things as bicycles and children's pedal cars. But given the millions of people he has reached, it is surprising that Schreckengost's work is not better known." Readers are referred to the upcoming National Centennial Exhibition series and the traveling retrospective show that will open at the Columbus (Ohio) Museum of Art in 2007.