ABSTRACT
From the late nineteenth century on, the twin notions of "corporate identity" and "corporate culture" evolved and expanded, becoming core tenets not only of capitalist economic theory but also of popular ideology within the industrialized societies of the United States and Western Europe. Many architects, designers, and artists readily accepted the challenges of corporate patronage: as the focus of business strategy shifted, particularly in the post World War II era, from products to personalities, designers contributed to the creation and display of corporate identities in myriad ways. The business strategy also shifted to lending the prestige and social status of the art world to new buildings, entrance lobbies, furniture, and signage, decorating office walls with paintings, creating sculpture for plazas, corridor walls, and lobby spaces, and, in some cases, by associating their own celebrity with the corporate image of their sponsors. This chapter examines key examples of such projects from the 1950s and 1960s and the uneasy partnerships of art and commerce that resulted from them.
