300 objects, all design classics and innovations of their time: they are the protagonists of “From Thonet to Dutch Design”, the exhibition chosen by the world-renowned Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam to celebrate its 125th anniversary and its own design collection.
A Thonet bench from 1849/50 – one of the oldest pieces in the collection – marks the starting point of the collection’s chronological spectrum and, at further stations, visitors to the retrospective encounter not only historical designs but also numerous contemporary models: from celebrated designs by the Wiener Werkstätte and the Amsterdam School, Scandinavian design and plasticfurniture of the 1960s to colorful Italian Memphis designs of the 1980s and models of the successful “Dutch Design” movement that emerged in the 1990s.
For the curator of the anniversary show, Ingeborg de Roode, Thonet products are much more than just pieces of furniture:
“They are still very popular today and part of the collective consciousness as wellas familiar cultural assets. They have also inspired many designers and continue to attract the enthusiasm and interest of many people – as will be the case with the exhibition at the Stedelijk Museum“.
See you in Amsterdam, from 2020, July 25th to 2021, March 21st.
