Summer Design Exhibitions - From Thonet To 'Dutch Design’
In Amsterdam, the Stedelijk presents an extensive selection of design from its world-class collection. The show features over 300 objects that over the past 125 years were landmarks of design innovation and excellence.
Episode 3: From Thonet to ‘Dutch Design’ – 125 Years of Living
Gallery about innovation in Vienna (Thonet and the Wiener Werkstätte). To the left: Michael Thonet, bench Nr. 4 (variation on Café Daum-furniture). Next to it: Michael Thonet, Nr. 14, 1859-60. And to the right three chairs from the Wiener Werkstätte period, around 1900. Collection Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam. Wallpaper designed by Bas van Beek, based on motifs by Dagobert Peche, Wiener Werkstätte. Photo Gert Jan van Rooij
The exhibition spotlights work by renowned and ground-breaking designers such as Michael Thonet, Gerrit Rietveld, Charlotte Perriand, Verner Panton, Ettore Sottsass, Hella Jongerius, Marcel Wanders, and Patrick Jouin.
Curator Ingeborg de Roode also chose to include relatively unknown gems by celebrated designers to broaden the scope a little.
Three chairs by Gerrit Rietveld, from left to right: Aluminum chair, 1942-1943, prod. Gerrit and Wim Rietveld; Military chair 1, 1923, produced under the supervision of Gerrit Rietveld; Eerste Model (First Model) (prototype), 1927, produced under the supervision of Gerrit Rietveld. Collection Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam.
“Produced during the war from almost a single sheet of material, Rietveld’s Aluminium Chair was incredibly innovative because he intended it to be produced in a different material, in one go, anticipating the potential plastics would offer later. Research reveals that we have the prototype in our collection” wrote Ingeborg de Roode.
“And in addition to the well-known Scandinavian design - light, wood, organic forms - I selected a-typical, almost baroque pieces, such as an armchair made of sprayed polyurethane foam by Gunnar Aagaard Andersen. It’s a way for us to see design movements we think we know, from an entirely fresh perspective.”
Gallery Amsterdam School, from left to right: John Rädecker, Girl, Three-Quarter Figure, 1920-24, several designs by Hildo Krop: buffet, 1920; clock, ca 1920; chair, 1914; sculpture Female Figure, 1930; sculpture Standing Nude, 1950. Wall photo by Carel Blazer of Hildo Krop sculpture De onbevangenheid der mensen tegenover het leven, 1936. Collection Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam. Wallpaper by Bas van Beek, inspired by wallpaper designs by Lambertus Zwiers.
Visitors are invited to explore design history, from a Thonet bench, one of the oldest pieces in the collection, to acclaimed designs by the Wiener Werkstätte, the Amsterdam School, Scandinavian design, the advent of plastics in the ‘60s, the colourful Italian Memphis designs of the ‘80s, and the successful school of Dutch design, which emerged in the ‘90s.
Dutch minimalism, with from left to right: Ad Dekkers, Relief with 3 Circles, 1967; Aldo van den Nieuwlaar, lamps from the TC series, 1969. Collection Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam.
Also highlighted are current topics such as sustainability and the impact of the corona crisis on the Dutch design world. And there’s a treat in store… you may sit on certain pieces of furniture, like Richard Hutten’s Crossing Italy sofa.
From left to right: Patrick Jouin, C2-chair from the series Solid, 2004, prod. .MGX by Materialise, Leuven (BE); Charlotte Perriand, Ombre, 1953, prod. Tendo Mokko Company, Tendo (JP), publisher Galerie Steph Simon, Paris; Jens Fager, Raw (prototype) 2008; Verner Panton, Panton Chair, 1958-1967, prod. Vitra AG, Weil am Rhein (DE), for Herman Miller Inc., Zeeland, MI (USA). Collection Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam.
Among the items of furniture, the backbone of the collection, there are relatively few pieces by women designers. Nearly 20% of the exhibited objects were created by women (including collectives that contain at least one woman. Amongst them, the graphic work by the Dutch designer Bertha Bake, a chair by Charlotte Perriand from the ‘50s, a hobbyhorse by Gloria Caranica and a bench and matching table by the Danish designer Nanna Ditzel.
Designs for the Children
Designs for the Children
Toys and dolls, with designs by, amongst others: Maarten Vrolijk, Ineke Hans, Anthon Beeke, Enzo Mari, Elisabeth Scrutton, Käthe Kruse, Ray & Charles Eames, Victor Vaserély. Collection Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam.
Designs for children
From left to right, amongst others: high chair by Michael Thonet, 1862; Schaukelwagen, Hans Brockhage and Erwin Andrä, 1950; Gerrit Rietveld, cot, 1945; Piet Zwart, child seat, 1920; rocking horse Rocking Beauty by Gloria Caranica, 1964-1966; cot and high chair by Titia Frieling-van Osselen, 1973-1974; Office Chair, Ineke Hans, 2001; playpen Love, Maarten Vrolijk, 2003. Collection Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam.
The Stedelijk staged its first exhibition devoted to the design of children’s toys and furniture in 1965: Kinderspel (Child’s Play). Since then, children’s design has been a key part of the design collection. The exhibit includes a large gallery dedicated to design for children, with work by Charles & Ray Eames, Victor Vasarely, Enzo Mari and Ineke Hans. This space also features a special design: the Stedelijk and HMC, Amsterdam’s craft and design college, jointly launched a competition inviting students to design a piece of furniture for children aged between 2 and 6.
Sustainability
The exhibition ends with contemporary themes such as sustainability, inclusion and the democratization of design.
Clockwise: Piet Hein Eek, Scrapwood Cupboard, 1990; Bär & Knell Design, chair Confetti, 1993; Marleen Kaptein, Fibre Placement Chair, 2014; Dirk Vander Kooij, Endless Flow Saloon Table, Endless Pulse Low Chair and Endless Flow Rocking Chair, 2010; Enzo Mari/Cucula, Ambassador’s Chair, 1974. Collection Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam.
The Scrapwood Cupboard by Piet Hein Eek from 1990, an early example of sustainable material use, is now a widely imitated international design classic. Eek pioneers the more sustainable use of raw materials.
Jesse Howard's open design is very democratic: his downloadable (digital) files are blueprints you can follow to make your own household appliances using materials from the hardware store
Impact of the Corona Virus Pandemic
The gallery devoted to Dutch design also looks at how the corona crisis has impacted the world of design in the Netherlands.
Ingeborg de Roode: “We had already planned on looking at the current position of Dutch designers in the creative industry. Then came the corona crisis. Together with BNO, the professional association for Dutch designers, we conducted a survey on the impact of corona and presented the initial results. And of course, partly digitally, we’re also displaying designs that respond to this crisis."
Screen with about 30 designs in reaction to the Covid-19 pandemic, amongst which an inflatable face shield by Margstudio. In the glass case a face mask by Carlos Amorales and Corona postcards by Dutch designers, an initiative by Lex Reitsma.
Bas van Beek
K.P.C. de Bazel, book case, 1909; Theo Colenbrander, carpet Artisjok (Artichoke), 1895. Collection Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam. Floor carpet by Bas van Beek, inspired by a design by K.P.C. de Bazel.
The Stedelijk invited artist-designer Bas van Beek to advise on the interior and add a contemporary twist. He responded with a number of special interventions, playing with ‘quotes’ from design classics. Bas van Beek blended references to historical designs by Dagobert Peche (Wiener Werkstätte), K.P.C. de Bazel (Nieuwe Kunst), Lambertus Zwiers (Amsterdam School) and Nathalie du Pasquier (Memphis) into new wall coverings and animations that evoke a unique mood in every gallery.
Pictures by Gert Jan van Rooij and Peggy Janssen.
From Thonet to 'Dutch Design' until 12 Sep 2021
