Vitra Design Museum, Weil am Rhein (Germany)
Pop Art Design
13.10.2012 – 03.02.2013
The exhibition will feature such masterpieces of art from the Pop Art era as Andy Warhol's early silk-screen prints, Roy Lichtenstein's monumental Yellow Brushstroke (1965), Allen Jones' Woman table (1969), and Ettore Sottsass's "Superbox" wardrobe. (1965-69).
In addition, vinyl covers, magazines and photographs of contemporary interiors, including the apartment of legendary collector Guntra Sachs, can be seen here.
In parallel to the Pop Art Design exhibition, the Vitra Design Museum Gallery will host an exhibition dedicated to the work of the Austrian artist Erwin Wurm, who epitomizes the continuing influence of pop art and popular culture on contemporary artists and designers.
Pop Art is arguably the most influential art movement of the post-war era. One of its foundational elements was the dialogue between design and art. To explore this dialogue, the Vitra Design Museum presents for the first time in its history a number of famous art objects, including works by Andy Warhol, Claes Oldenburg, Roy Lichtenstein, Ed Ruscha and Richard Hamilton. At the exhibition, the work of artists will be presented in parallel with the work of the pop-era designers: Charles Eames, George Nelson, Achille Castiglione and Ettore Sottsass. As a result of this juxtaposition, a new vision of Pop Art emerges, where design is ultimately given a central role.
The exhibition demonstrates how the design of the early 1950s. anticipated some of the later integral elements of pop art. In the years that followed, both artists and designers explored the motives of the evolving consumer society. Everyday objects were transformed into artistic decorations and sculptures, while designers, in turn, promoted the use of artistic methods such as quotation, collage and irony to create a new aesthetic for everyday objects. The exhibition draws attention to Andy Warhol's early screen printing (1958), Roy Lichtenstein's monumental Yellow Brushstroke (1965) and Allen Jones' Woman table (1969), as well as a sculptural piece of furniture - Ettore Sottsass's Superbox cabinet (1965- 69). Vinyl covers, magazines and photographs of contemporary interiors, including the apartment of legendary collector Gunther Sachs, testify to the rapid development of pop aesthetics - from an artistic movement to an aesthetic phenomenon that continues to shape our society to this day. The exhibition features about 50 artworks and 80 design items from international museums. A significant part of these works belongs to the world famous collections of the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art (Denmark) and the Moderna Museet in Stockholm, which also participated in the organization of the exhibition; both museums will present themselves [to guests of the Vitra Design Museum] in 2013. The exhibition is accompanied by a comprehensive catalog, which includes essays by Marco Livingstone, Steven Heller, Brigitte Felderer and others.
In parallel to the Pop Art Design exhibition, the Vitra Design Museum Gallery will host an exhibition dedicated to the work of the Austrian artist Erwin Wurm. Wurm's artistic legacy embodies the continuing influence of pop art and popular culture on the work of many artists and designers right up to the present day.
