INFLUENCER

Nelda Linsk

“ People want to be in that photo. It shows a way of living: the pool, the mountain, the house, the landscaping! ”

Architecture gains its stature in many ways, including which media showcase the significance of the building.

From the 1920s onward, architectural magazines have played a central role in popularizing Modernist Architecture. In the late 1970s, when this type of architecture went out of style, the fashion industry helped it recover its initial popularity.

Nelda Linsk, a former fashion buyer and representative of German-based clothing brand Betty Barclay, played a pivotal role in elevating the Kaufmann Desert House to international acclaim. In 1970, she hosted an impromptu poolside gathering at her home, inviting friends from the fashion and design world, including Helen Dzo Dzo and Lita Baron. Photographer Slim Aarons, a friend and neighbor in New York, captured this moment in his iconic image Poolside Gossip, which has since epitomized the glamour and leisure of Palm Springs life.

Linsk’s influence not only showcased Richard Neutra’s architectural masterpiece but also highlighted how fashion and lifestyle imagery can amplify the recognition of modernist design. Linsk bought the Kaufmann Desert House, designed by Richard Neutra in 1946, from Kaufmannn’s nephew in 1964. Interior designer Arthur Elrod redecorated the house in 1965, combining yellow accents with the off-white color of Linsk’s poodle. In 1974, Linsk sold the house to Eugene Klein, the owner of the San Diego Chargers. 

Other instrumental figures from the media include Mary Nichols whose transparencies are presented in this exhibition to illustrate the Annette Lerner House.