ProductsChairsLounge chairsSofasOffice chairsChaises longuesStools & benchesSculpturesConference chairsAirport seatingStorage spaceMicro architectureDining tablesCafé tablesCoffee & side tablesDesksOffice furniture systemsConference systemsLightingClocksDecorative objectsCoat racks & wall shelvesTrays & vesselsAlexander Girard Antonio CitterioCharles & Ray Eames Barber OsgerbyGeorge NelsonHella JongeriusIsamu NoguchiJasper MorrisonJean ProuvéKonstantin GrcicRonan & Erwan BouroullecVerner PantonJulie RichozCare & repairCare productsManufacturer warrantyNewBestsellerQuickshipGift finderOffice chair finderLounge chair finderColour & materialMikadoColour Frame MirrorsInspirationsLiving roomDining roomHome OfficeChildren's roomOutdoorHome StoriesAugmented RealityWorkspaceFocusMeetingWorkshopClub OfficeCitizen OfficeStudio OfficeDynamic SpacesHospitalityAirportsEducationCo-WorkingHealthcareOur ClientsHome StoriesAugmented Reality - bring Vitra products into your homeA case for classicsColour & materialAn open house A leading space for a leading art collegeHigh comfort of low energyAn office landscape - without walls or partitionsServicesCare & repairSpare partsCare productsManufacturer warrantyFAQ and contactInstructionsInstructions for earlier productsConsulting & Planning StudioConsulting & planning in the VitraHausOutdoor care instructionsRepair, maintenance, overhaul at the Vitra Circle Store Campus ProfessionalsCAD dataProduct factsheetsCertificatesBrochuresSustainability reportInstructionsEcology informationpConPlanning examplesColour & Material LibraryCertificates and standardsTo the dealer loginOur ClientsMikadoTyde 2 on castorsACXDancing OfficeOffice chairsMagazineStoriesConversationsExhibitionsDesignerProject VitraVitraHaus Loft - A conversation with Sabine MarcelisKhudi BariWalking the talkA 1000 m2 piece of furnitureShaping the future of energyFrom a toy to an objectWhat would nature doWhy design classics remain relevant, even in the officeA studio visit with Tsuyoshi TaneThe Eames Collection at the Vitra Design MuseumMoments in architectureAbout the partnership between Eames and VitraThe Eames La ChaiseSaul SteinbergTane Garden HouseWhat would Charles and Ray say?The Maison Jean ProuvéThe OriginalVitra CampusExhibitionsGuided tours & workshopsFood and drinkShoppingActivities for familiesArchitectureYour eventPlan your visitVitra Campus appCampus EventsNewsVitraHausVitra Design MuseumVitra SchaudepotVitra Circle Store CampusOudolf GartenAbout VitraSustainabilityJobs & CareersDesign processThe Original is by VitraHistory - Project Vitra
German Design 1949–1989
Two Countries, One History
New Exhibition at the Vitra Design Museum
1
More than thirty years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Vitra Design Museum presents the first panoramic overview of post-war design in the two Germanies. From 20 March to 5 September 2021, the exhibition »German Design 1949–1989: Two Countries, One History« will offer a comparative selection of design from East and West Germany and explore ideological and aesthetic differences as well as parallels and interrelations between East and West.
More than thirty years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Vitra Design Museum presents the first panoramic overview of post-war design in the two Germanies. From 20 March to 5 September 2021, the exhibition »German Design 1949–1989: Two Countries, One History« will offer a comparative selection of design from East and West Germany and explore ideological and aesthetic differences as well as parallels and interrelations between East and West.
2
German design was put on the map in the 1920s by the Bauhaus school and the Werkbund association. After the division of Germany in 1949, design and everyday culture, too, went their separate ways on both sides of the border. In the West, design became a driving force in the »Wirtschaftswunder«, or economic miracle, while in the East it was absorbed into the socialist planned economy. More than thirty years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Vitra Design Museum presents the first panoramic overview of post-war design in the two Germanies. From 20 March to 5 September 2021, the exhibition »German Design 1949–1989: Two Countries, One History« will offer a comparative selection of design from East and West Germany and explore ideological and aesthetic differences as well as parallels and interrelations between East and West. Exhibits range from iconic pieces of furniture and lamps to graphic, industrial, and interior design to fashions, textiles, and personal ornaments.
German design was put on the map in the 1920s by the Bauhaus school and the Werkbund association. After the division of Germany in 1949, design and everyday culture, too, went their separate ways on both sides of the border. In the West, design became a driving force in the »Wirtschaftswunder«, or economic miracle, while in the East it was absorbed into the socialist planned economy. More than thirty years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Vitra Design Museum presents the first panoramic overview of post-war design in the two Germanies. From 20 March to 5 September 2021, the exhibition »German Design 1949–1989: Two Countries, One History« will offer a comparative selection of design from East and West Germany and explore ideological and aesthetic differences as well as parallels and interrelations between East and West. Exhibits range from iconic pieces of furniture and lamps to graphic, industrial, and interior design to fashions, textiles, and personal ornaments.
3 - 5
Cheap plastic and shrill colours in the East, cool functionalism in the West – the exhibition breaks with simplistic stereotypes and presents a differentiated view. Legendary automobiles like the »Trabant« (1958) and coveted everyday items like the radio-phono-combo ironically nicknamed »Snow White’s Coffin« (1956) will be on display alongside new discoveries and rare objects such as Luigi Colani’s sculptural loop chair »Poly-COR« (1968). The exhibition introduces important figures including Dieter Rams, Egon Eiermann, Rudolf Horn, and Margarete Jahny while also highlighting the role of design schools and the Bauhaus legacy. Its broad panorama of design from the two Germanies illustrates how closely intertwined design and history, everyday culture and world politics were in Germany during the Cold War period.
Cheap plastic and shrill colours in the East, cool functionalism in the West – the exhibition breaks with simplistic stereotypes and presents a differentiated view. Legendary automobiles like the »Trabant« (1958) and coveted everyday items like the radio-phono-combo ironically nicknamed »Snow White’s Coffin« (1956) will be on display alongside new discoveries and rare objects such as Luigi Colani’s sculptural loop chair »Poly-COR« (1968). The exhibition introduces important figures including Dieter Rams, Egon Eiermann, Rudolf Horn, and Margarete Jahny while also highlighting the role of design schools and the Bauhaus legacy. Its broad panorama of design from the two Germanies illustrates how closely intertwined design and history, everyday culture and world politics were in Germany during the Cold War period.
6 - 7
The exhibition will open with an Online Opening on 19 March 2021.
The Online Opening Days will take place from 19 March to 8 April 2021.
Duration: 20 March to 5 September 2021
Curators: Erika Pinner, Vitra Design Museum. Klára Němečková, Kunstgewerbemuseum. Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden.
Assistant curators: Mea Hoffmann, Isabelle Schorer, Vitra Design Museum.
The exhibition will open with an Online Opening on 19 March 2021.
The Online Opening Days will take place from 19 March to 8 April 2021.
Duration: 20 March to 5 September 2021
Curators: Erika Pinner, Vitra Design Museum. Klára Němečková, Kunstgewerbemuseum. Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden.
Assistant curators: Mea Hoffmann, Isabelle Schorer, Vitra Design Museum.
Publication date: 18.3.2021
Images: 1. Daniel Streat, Visual Fields; 2. © Tim Wegner / laif; 3, 5, 6. Jürgen Hans; 4. © Rosenthal GmbH und Historisches Fotoarchiv des Rat für Formgebung, Frankfurt am Main; 7. Ewald Gnilka; 8. Gunter Binsack