Large George Nelson slat bench, by Herman Miller, 1950s, birch top over ebonized legs, original finish, 102.5"w x 18.75"d x 14"h, some wear to finish, very good original condition. The Collection of Mort and Millie Goldsholl

The Collection of Mort and Millie Goldsholl


One of America's most successful design teams, Morton and Millie Goldsholl founded Morton Goldsholl & Associates – one of the leading graphic design studios in the 1950s. Both studied at the Chicago School of Design (now IIT) with Moholy-Nagy, and credit him for their inspiration and graphic design education. In a 1992 interview, Mort Goldsholl said “He changed my life.”

Their Northfield, IL firm was recognized for developing corporate branding through packaging, print, and TV commercials, as well as for industrial and experimental films. Perhaps best known for developing trademarks and symbols, the Goldsholls designed the Motorola trademark, as well as logos for 7-UP, Peace Corps, Schlitz, Helene Curtis, Stone Container, Vienna Beef Frankfurters, Kimberly-Clark and many others. Mort Goldsholl designed the logo used by the Good Design Award, which was created by Charles and Ray Eames, Eero Saarinen and former MoMA curator Edgar Kaufman, Jr., and is awarded yearly for products that exhibit extraordinary design excellence.

Mort Goldsholl (1911-1985) described his purpose as a designer to "eliminate ugliness and uselessness, and to make things more useful and purposeful." The recipient of more than 400 awards, he said:

"Faced with the chaos, the polyglot of thing and words, it takes a super effort to weed out the meaningful things from the trash. The problem is to get the final design to match the fleeting idea. The big dream about the great work of art can too easily be dissipated in the practicalities of solutions, clients, markets, statistics, sales, function and committee decision.

Determination to remain free requires a discipline; but it does not inhibit freedom, it enlarges it."

Millie Goldsholl (1920-2012) studied architecture at the Chicago School of Design, and went on to design a modern home and studio in Highland Park, IL. The family furnished their home with modern design, and used Eames ESUs in almost every room. Millie later shifted her focus on making films. She and Mort created commercials for 7-UP, Alberto V0-5, The National Endowment for the Arts, Kellogg and many others. Three of their short films are available for viewing at Chicagofilmarchives.com. “Up is Down”, an animated film, introduces an unconventional young boy who is temporarily persuaded to accept others’ viewpoints as his own. The film is dedicated to Martin Luther King. Millie said:

"It is better to be Utopic than myopic – even if you're not a designer – and especially if you are. It's not so much a matter of thinking big as thinking deep.

We’d rather make films that have guts than gimmicks – and we don’t equate gimmicks with honest experimentation and unorthodox techniques. Serendipity is something we are committed to."

To view an interview with Mort Goldsholl, click on this link: http://www.chicagodesignarchive.org/documents/video_mortgoldsholl.php

To view three of Millie Goldsholl’s films, click on this link:

Light to moderate surface scratches, scuffs and abrasions. Small spots and light stains with some finish loss. Wear and flaking to the finish of the legs. Small tight hairline to the cross bar under the top where the center leg is attached (this is minor and does not affect the structural integrity of the bench). Sturdy and structurally sound. Shows age. PLEASE NOTE: This item will be sold on SATURDAY, December 1 (our auctions were formerly held on Sundays).