Meet Alan Dunn, the New Yorker cartoonist who put Modernism in its place
A new book explores how Alan Dunn poked fun at 20th-century American architecture over this five-decade cartooning career
Alan Dunn, a prominent New Yorker cartoonist, utilized his art to critique Modernism in the 1960s. One of his early works, a watercolor from 1963, portrayed the contrast between Walter Gropius's modern Pan Am headquarters and the older Beaux-Arts Helmsley Building on Park Avenue. This juxtaposition symbolized the potential threat of a bland, overly modern future overshadowing a more refined and resonant past.
Dunn's career, as detailed by Gabriele Neri in his book, began with humorous observations of architecture, akin to the work of UK illustrator Osbert Lancaster. He contributed to The New Yorker and Architectural Record throughout his career, producing over 3,600 pieces. Despite the emergence of various modern architectural movements, Dunn's satire remained light-hearted and respectful, earning praise from conservative writers like Lewis Mumford and Ada Louise Huxtable.
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