Gilbert Rohde Artwork valuations, appraisals and auction estimates

Gilbert Rohde (1894-1944), whose career as a furniture designer and industrialist helped define American modernism during its first phase, from the late 1920s to World War II, is best known today for inaugurating the modern design at Herman Miller Inc. Beginning in 1932, and up until the time of his death in 1944, Rohde advised Herman Miller president Dirk Jan De Pree on design, marketing, and manufacturing. Read the full biography

Gilbert Rohde (1894-1944), whose career as a furniture designer and industrialist helped define American modernism during its first phase, from the late 1920s to World War II, is best known today for inaugurating the modern design at Herman Miller Inc. Beginning in 1932, and up until the time of his death in 1944, Rohde advised Herman Miller president Dirk Jan De Pree on design, marketing, and manufacturing. Herman Miller was one of a dozen furniture manufacturers where Rohde initiated modern design, including the Heywood-Wakefield Company, the Widdicomb Company, and the Troy Sunshade Company. Rohde lived in and around New York City his entire life. He was educated in New York public schools, graduating in 1913 from Stuyvesant High School, which was known at the time for its rigorous professional curriculum.