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South Palm Canyond Drive in Palm Springs, CA with palm trees and Modernism Week banner

Palm Springs Tiki: Polynesia in the Desert

was the event of the season–the place to be. At the annual Desert Circus Parade, so-called ‘Tiki Girls' patrolled the clubs and gave citations to anyone not dressed in Western wear or Hawaiian garb.

(Gibbs Smith, October 2024), including additional unpublished material.

Sven Kirsten is widely acknowledged as the father of the Tiki Revival inspired by the publication of his “Book of Tiki” in 2000. Since then, he has published four more definitive volumes on Tiki style, how it relates to midcentury Modernism, and America's historic love of Polynesia. He lectures and continues to write books on Tiki, advises on Tiki projects, and designs Tiki ceramics.

Historian Peter Moruzzi is a longtime preservationist with a passion for midcentury Modern architecture and design. He has authored six pictorial history books published by Gibbs Smith covering Havana, Palm Springs, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and classic American restaurants.

Photo Credits: Cover Design by Shag, Palm Springs Life Archives, Cliff and Lou Sawyer papers, Architecture and Design Collection, courtesy of the Art, Design & Architecture Museum (University of California, Santa Barbara), Sven Kirsten,

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