A “cult” book written in 1936 by the art historian Nikolaus Pevsner identified William Morris and his Arts and Crafts Company, which was devoted to conceiving and producing artistic factory-made objects and textiles, as the first pioneer of industrial design.
The history of industrial design (art focussed on real life and produced by machines from very human ideas) evolved with more recent European history. Industrial design evolved through French, Belgian, and Spanish Art Nouveau and Art Deco; Italian, German and Austrian functionalism and the school of Le Corbusier. Then Alvar Aalto, who combined innovative techniques with old Nordic wood art; and Modern Style emerge in Europe immediately before the Second World War and conquered the world in the Fifties. Since then European design has passed through the ironic revolution of Pop (famous for its brightly-coloured plastics) and ended with the present Post-Modern mixture of minimalism, eco-social commitment and exotic atmospheres. This history is part of our everyday lives: we switch on a light and see the grandchild of the lamp designed by Gio Ponti; when we daydream in an armchair we should thank to LeCorbu and when we wear skirts we are indebted to Mary Quant.
Reopening of Musée des Arts Decoratifs. Press pack cover
Not specified. http://www.lesartsdecoratifs.fr/
The European tradition of design can be seen in many institutions devoted to the study and preservation of “ancient” design objects; missions that are always strongly connected with research, education and communication of new functional solutions and stylistic trends. For example, the Triennale di Milano originated in the Thirties and is still a leading exhibition of the best design firms.
Tourists who are interested in industrial design could start in London where, walking through the many departments of the Victoria and Albert Museum, they could see the evolution of design from the first World Exhibition in 1851 to the present. The Contemporary and Design department provides a unique archive of designers’ files and of exhibitions, such as the Millennium Festival (1999/2001). They should not miss the Design Museum for its rich collections and its educational workshops. Its Digital Museum offers thematic galleries to discover (for instance, the history of chairs from 1920) and a digital archive of information and pictures of the designers represented inside .
The Museum of Domestic Design & Architecture – MoDA helps to understand the impact of design in our houses. MoDA is part of Middlesex University, which provides a study room where the archives can be consulted and makes its digital archives available online at http://monet.mdx.ac.uk/ .
MICHAEL describes many interesting collections of design objects such as the Cheltenham Art Gallery & Museum's Arts & Crafts Movement Collection . This is a very rich collection of jewels, pottery and furniture dating to the Arts & Crafts Movement between 1880 and 1900. Brighton Museum and Art Gallery objects on display is a searchable data base of 20th century design and contemporary fashion, including famous international designers such as Salvador Dali and Jean Paul Gautier.
France can boast the Musée des Arts Decoratifs, situated in three locations and hosting Decorative Art, Publicity, Fashion and Textile collections where visitors can see objects from the last century and especially from the Art Nouveau style. Its database allows users a first glance of the resources, through thematic sections such as toys or jewels . A large part of Musée d’Orsay is constructed of an extraordinary wood and glass Art Nouveau production, with masterpieces from all over Europe. The Curator’s archives allow users, with some access restrictions, to discover the museum’s heritage.
In Italy, as well as the Triennale mentioned above, the Museo del Design is still a project to be built in Milan. Presently the permanent collection of the Triennale, with its 600 pieces and the museum-studio of the famous designer Achille Castiglioni (on permanent loan) are testimonies of experimental innovation and technique. The Triennale hosts Material ConneXion, its documentation centre on innovative material for industrial design.
Currently in Italy, the phenomenon of company museums is spreading. These museums are conceived to trace the history of a particular brand. For example, the Museo Piaggio in Pontedera is dedicated to the Vespa, the famous scooter designed in the Fifties and still a symbol of the Italian carefree way of life. The Museo Salvatore Ferragamo in Florence exhibits the traditional shoes that the brand is famous for and gives many exhibitions on fashion and fashion gurus.
In Finland
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