Obituary / Judith Gura
A tribute to the renowned design writer.
By Emma Crichton-Miller / 15th April 2020
Judith Gura
COURTESY: Judith Gura
THE DESIGN EDIT is greatly saddened to report the death of one of our best loved and most prolific writers. Judith Gura, renowned within the design community in New York, has written for us from the very inception of our publication – always producing witty and incisive copy, underpinned by tremendous depth of knowledge. We were fortunate to draw on her exceptional expertise and unflagging enthusiasm, even in the last months of her life.
Judith’s professional life encompassed many different roles and a wide range of achievements. With an MFA from the Bard Graduate Centre, she taught design history at the Pratt Institute and was coordinator of the Design History program at the New York School of Interior Design. She was also a skilled curator and insightful critic, as well as author of many books and articles. Her published works include: Interior Landmarks: Treasures of New York; A History of Interior Design, with John Pile; Design After Modernism: Furniture and Interiors, 1970-2010; New York Interior Design, 1935-1985; Sourcebook of Scandinavian Furniture: Designs for the 21st Century; Guide to Period Styles for Interiors (now in its second edition); and the 2017 volume for Thames and Hudson, Postmodern Design Complete: Design, Furniture, Graphics, Architecture, Interiors. A longtime contributor to Interior Design, Judith also wrote many articles for Art + Auction and Art & Antiques magazines.
Judith provided The Design Edit with an endless stream of fresh ideas, as well as remaining a warm supporter of our fledgling publication. She will be sorely missed and our thoughts are with her family and friends.
We are proud to be able to run an unpublished article by Judith, ‘Speculations on Value’, which we had been preparing for publication. It is particularly poignant to read her considerations about value in this time of Coronavirus, when we are forced to pause and reassess many previously held priorities and judgements. The article exemplifies her wit and sparkle.
Emma Crichton-Miller is Editor-in-Chief of The Design Edit.
View all articles by Emma Crichton-Miller
Top reads of the week
People
People
Robert Wilson: “A chair is for me like sculpture, I like to look at it in space and to see it from different sides. I do not see chairs as having any function other than that.”
Exhibitions
