Modernism isn’t just an aesthetic. It’s a cultural legacy. #13

Me in front of the iconic Palm Springs fashion designer - Trina Turk’s always fun window display - February 2025

This February, Modernism Week will return to Palm Springs, and I’ve been reflecting on why preservation matters so much to me. Earlier this year, I had the privilege of meeting Raymond Neutra, son of Richard Neutra, one of the most consequential modernist architects in the United States.

As President of the Neutra Institute for Survival Through Design, Raymond brings a rare and compelling lens to the work: trained as a physician and epidemiologist, he has focused his career on environmental and public health, studying how the spaces we inhabit directly affect human well-being. That scientific grounding gives new depth to his father’s ideas, Survival Through Design, not as a slogan, but as evidence-based truth. Thoughtful, measured, and quietly passionate, Raymond approaches preservation as stewardship rather than nostalgia, ensuring that the Neutra philosophy remains relevant to contemporary challenges such as climate, health, and equity. In his hands, the legacy is not frozen in mid-century amber; it’s alive, evolving, and still very much in service of humanity.

Me and Raymond Neutra at the Palm Springs Art Museum - February 2025

Richard Neutra’s homes shaped the landscape of American modernism, redefining how we think about space, light, and the connection between people and environment. From private residences across the country, the Kaurman House, made infamous in the Poolside Gossip photograph by Slim Aarons, to his collaboration with Frank Lloyd Wright on Los Angeles’ Hollyhock House (which we toured this Summer), his work continues to inspire and influence generations.

Slim Aarons’ iconic photo of Neutra’s Kaufman House, designed in 1970. Photo: Slim Aarons/Getty Images

For me, preservation is about more than architecture. It’s about honoring creativity and vision, while ensuring that future generations, particularly women and underrepresented voices, have a seat at the table to shape what comes next. Just as we reclaim stories, histories, and voices, we must also protect the spaces that hold them.

And behind Richard’s brilliance stood another powerhouse: Dione Neutra, his wife, business manager, and publicist. Her work ensured that his architectural vision reached the world. Their partnership is a reminder that behind every enduring legacy there are often unseen voices, especially women, who make it possible.

From - https://www.neutrahistory.org/ - Dione was deeply involved with Neutra’s career, serving as his executive assistant and publicist as well as raising their three sons and maintaining her musical talents as an amateur performer at the many social functions she hosted in the Neutra compound.

After Richard’s death in 1970, she continued to live here, hosting musical and political events and inviting visiting artists to extended stays, for information about two of these young artists, Maria Nordman and Titus Leber, who were at the beginning of their careers at the time. Titus, in cooperation with Dion and Dione made a short documentary on the place as it looked in the early 1980’s. Click here to see it.

Dione died here in 1990, having bequeathed the place to the Cal Poly Pomona Foundation and College of Environmental Design. Her ashes and those of Richard Neutra were scattered in the patio garden of the Neutra compound. UCLA conducted an extensive oral history with her in 1983. It can be found here.

Raymond and the incredible team at The Neutra Institute carry this legacy forward through education, research, and advocacy. Supporting organizations like theirs ensures that cultural heritage is not lost, but celebrated, taught, and passed on. Community, empowerment, and legacy. Those are the foundations we build upon.

Wade and I loved meeting Raymond & Peggy Neutra, the team from Sunset Magazine, the Modernism Week Team - Cheers, Lisa! And the walking and biking tours by the Palm Springs Historical Society are fabulous. Thank you, Vinny!

If you haven’t been to Palm Springs in a while and you love art and architecture, I highly recommend Modernism Week in February or October. Tickets are on sale, and their new Shag poster is ready for 2026. Modernism Week 2026 | Modernism Week

#ModernismWeek #PreservationMatters #Neutra #CulturalHeritage #HollyhockHouse #WomenBuildingLegacy

Me and Wade in front of the Modernism Week logo at the Hyatt Regency Palm Springs - February 2025

Keynote presentation flyer with the Kaufman House from Modernism Week February 2025

Keynote flyer from the Raymond Neutra keynote at Modernism Week February 2025

Modernism Week 2026 Official Poster by the artist, Shag

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