Architects’ Furniture, 1960-2020
What I have always found intriguing about architect’ furniture, is tracing their architecture thinking in the object. An exercise I often hand my students is identifying whether a piece of furniture was designed by a fashion designer, industrial designer, artist, or architect. It teaches them how to look, think, and create.
Now, a new exhibition, ‘Architects’ Furniture, 1960-2020′ at the Cité de l’architecture & du patrimoine in Paris comes to explore this territory. It seeks to ‘discover how architects fit into the decorative arts with the design of furniture, objects and luminaires,’ through objects from various permanent collections of museums in Paris. What I find mostly compelling about this show, more than the theoretical thesis, which I find somehow thin (‘some see furniture and the luminaire as miniature architectures and insist that their mission should encompass this activity aspect, which is intrinsic to their practice), is the brilliant selection of objects, representing an enormous diversity of personal expressions. These objects, furniture, lighting, and others should be utilized as an exercise in training your eye, sharpening your taste, and challenging your knowledge. If you travel to Paris, make sure to visit this fabulous show.
Above: Marc Held, fauteuil Culbuto et son repose-pieds, 1967, Knoll © Knoll International
Isabelle Serre, chaise longue, 1983 avec l’aimable autorisation du Mobilier national © Collection du Mobilier national-photo. Isabelle Bideau
Eero Saarinen, fauteuil Tulip n150, 1956-1957, Knoll © Knoll International
Alessandro Mendini, banquette Kandissi, 1980, Alchimia © photo Design Museum Gent
17. Aldo Rossi, service Tea and Coffee Piazza, 1983, Alessi © Alessi
Frank Gehry, fauteuil Power Play, 1992, Knoll © Knoll International © Frank O. Gehry-Cnap Crédit photo. Bruno Scotti
Jean Nouvel, low chair Milana, 1995, Sawaya & Moroni © Sawaya & Moroni, Milan, Italy © Adagp, Paris, 2019
Gaetano Pesce, chaise Dalila, 1980 © Courtesy of Gaetano Pesce’s office
Sophie Dries, Marble shade, 2017 © Piet Albert Goethals
Christian Biecher, Flying dots, exposition Light Prose, 2008, Saazs ® Morgane Le Gall – Saazs
MAL – Daniel Widrig et Guan Lee, chaise Ecoire, 2017 © MAL-Daniel Widrig and Guan Lee
Paulo Mendas da Rocha, fauteuil Paulistano, 1957, Objekto © Objekto
17. Kazumasa Yamashita, service Tea and Coffee Piazza, 1983, Alessi © Alessi
Paulo Mendas da Rocha, fauteuil Paulistano, 1957, Objekto © Objekto
Ron Arad, chaise Schizzo 1 et 2, 1989, Vitra © Vitra
Carlo Ratti Associati, Lift-Bit, 2016, with the support of Vitra © Carlo Ratti Associati, photo : Max Tomasinelli
Mario Botta, fauteuil Seconda, 1982, Alias © Aldo Ballo