Paul T. Frankl (American, born Austria, 1887–1958). <em>"Skyscraper" Step Table</em>, late 1920s. Painted wood, 38 3/4 x 30 1/2 x 9 in. (98.4 x 77.5 x 22.9 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Designated Purchase Fund, 85.163.5. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 85.163.5_bw_IMLS.jpg)

Paul T. Frankl (American, born Austria, 1887–1958). "Skyscraper" Step Table, late 1920s. Painted wood, 38 3/4 x 30 1/2 x 9 in. (98.4 x 77.5 x 22.9 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Designated Purchase Fund, 85.163.5. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 85.163.5_bw_IMLS.jpg)

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Can you tell me why these two art works were paired to be shown next to each other?

That's a great question, our curators have teamed up to combine fine arts (painting, sculpture) with decorative arts (furniture, household objects) in the galleries. These two works are close in date, the Manship sculpture is 1924, and the Frankl piece is late 1920s. They are both associated with the Art Deco, or Art Moderne, movement and they use streamlined forms and fine materials.

That makes sense because even though they look really different they sort of feel similar. Thanks!

The Frankl piece is inspired by 1920s skyscraper architecture, and Manship was looking back to ancient Greek sculpture but they were both interested in smooth contours and surfaces.

What is this?

The "Skyscraper" Step Table is by Paul T. Frankl. Frankl was born in Vienna, Austria in 1886 and emigrated to the United States. He worked as a designer in New York and later in Los Angeles. He was an important practitioner of the Art Moderne style, more commonly known as Art Deco.

Frankl's most famous designs were his "skyscraper" tables, bookcases, dressing tables, and other pieces. They were influenced by the height, rectilinear forms, and streamlined appearance of the new office and apartment towers being built in New York in the late 1920s.

"Skyscraper" Step Table

Decorative Arts and Design

The magazine Good Furniture commented in 1927 that Paul T. Frankl “has developed one feature that is absolutely unique. This is the now somewhat celebrated skyscraper type of furniture, which is as American and as New Yorkish as Fifth Avenue itself.” Indeed, what could be more American and modern than furniture based on this unique contribution to architecture—the skyscraper. Frankl, who was creating furniture of this type by 1925, was one of the first modern designers of American decorative arts.

MAKER Paul T. Frankl, American, born Austria, 1887–1958

MEDIUM Painted wood

Place Manufactured: New York, New York, United States

DATES late 1920s

DIMENSIONS 38 3/4 x 30 1/2 x 9 in. (98.4 x 77.5 x 22.9 cm) (show scale)

MARKINGS no marks

SIGNATURE no signature

INSCRIPTIONS no inscriptions

COLLECTIONS Decorative Arts and Design

ACCESSION NUMBER 85.163.5

CREDIT LINE Designated Purchase Fund

CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION "Skyscraper" step table / bookcase, painted wood. Outside surfaces painted black, inside of shelves painted green. Stepped design irregularly descending from top (fitted with small pedestal). In elevation, a series of rectangles and cubes piled atop one another. Four metal glides attached to underside. CONDITION: Repainted with slight wear and paint droplets and some splotching to many surfaces. 2" scratch to edge of tallest side between middle and top of back.

EXHIBITIONS

MUSEUM LOCATION This item is not on view

CAPTION Paul T. Frankl (American, born Austria, 1887–1958). "Skyscraper" Step Table, late 1920s. Painted wood, 38 3/4 x 30 1/2 x 9 in. (98.4 x 77.5 x 22.9 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Designated Purchase Fund, 85.163.5. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 85.163.5_bw_IMLS.jpg)

IMAGE overall, 85.163.5_bw_IMLS.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph

"CUR" at the beginning of an image file name means that the image was created by a curatorial staff member. These study images may be digital point-and-shoot photographs, when we don\'t yet have high-quality studio photography, or they may be scans of older negatives, slides, or photographic prints, providing historical documentation of the object.

RIGHTS STATEMENT Creative Commons-BY

You may download and use Brooklyn Museum images of this three-dimensional work in accordance with a Creative Commons license. Fair use, as understood under the United States Copyright Act, may also apply. Please include caption information from this page and credit the Brooklyn Museum. If you need a high resolution file, please fill out our online application form (charges apply). For further information about copyright, we recommend resources at the United States Library of Congress, Cornell University, Copyright and Cultural Institutions: Guidelines for U.S. Libraries, Archives, and Museums, and Copyright Watch. For more information about the Museum's rights project, including how rights types are assigned, please see our blog posts on copyright. If you have any information regarding this work and rights to it, please contact copyright@brooklynmuseum.org.

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Not every record you will find here is complete. More information is available for some works than for others, and some entries have been updated more recently. Records are frequently reviewed and revised, and we welcome any additional information you might have.

Download our app and ask your own questions during your visit. Here are some that others have asked.

Can you tell me why these two art works were paired to be shown next to each other?

That makes sense because even though they look really different they sort of feel similar. Thanks!

The Frankl piece is inspired by 1920s skyscraper architecture, and Manship was looking back to ancient Greek sculpture but they were both interested in smooth contours and surfaces.

What is this?

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"Skyscraper" Step Table

Decorative Arts and Design

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