What's new
23 March > 9 June 2013
Art Nouveau, a style with various names and different faces
The Art Nouveau collections of Design museum Gent are currently investigated more closely within the scope of
Partage Plus, a European digitization and research project. Design museum Gent is one of the partners besides 22 other cultural heritage institutions.
Due to the diversity in objects and styles from various European countries it was obvious from the start how complex and versatile the Art Nouveau movement is. To attract attention to this there is now a small-scale presentation titled
Art Nouveau, a style with various names and different faces. It focuses on French Art Nouveau, German Jugendstil and English Liberty Style.
The public will discover magnificent Art Nouveau objects which otherwise remain hidden as reserve items but which are now on display for a short time.
23 March > 9 June 2013
Architects and silver
What happens when architects such as Scarpa, Sottsass, or Hadid decide to start designing silver objects beside buildings? Is their dishware a miniature version of their architectural concepts or do they come up with completely unexpected ideas? Judge for yourself at the exhibition.
23 March > 9 June 2013
D.E.S.I.G.N.
From A(alto) to Z(ieta)
D.E.S.I.G.N. is a selection of some 60 objects created by the most famous and influential designers around. The selection is based on a Polish children’s book on design. The colourful book illustrations form the backdrop against which the design objects are displayed.
January 2013
Cahier 3: Meesterlijk (zilver)design
De Wolfersverzameling
Since 2009 Design museum Gent sheds a yearly light on parts of its extensive collection in the Cahier publications. Edition 2012 deals with the Wolfers collection.
The house of Wolfers was the leading silver company in Belgium from the mid-nineteenth century till the 1970s. Between 1885 and 1929 Philippe Wolfers probably was the country’s most important designer of silver and artistic sculpture. His art nouveau designs are iconic, and his swift evolution towards the art deco style lifted the firm to new international heights. His son Marcel Wolfers continued the legacy and made sure the company stayed at the forefront of Belgian silver design during the fifties.
Design museum Gent owns a fairly large collection of objects made by the Wolfers firm. They offer a unique view of the evolution of silverware and objets d’art from the third quarter of the 19th century till the outbreak of World War II. The most spectacular designs are on display in the museum, like the Maraudeur series, the cups Monnaie du Pape and vases Magnolia, a stylised art nouveau toilet set, and the Gioconda service, designed for the ground-breaking 1925 Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs (et Industriels Modernes) in Paris.
The richly illustrated Cahier 3 is written by Ko Goubert, formerly researcher at Design museum Gent (January 2011-March 2012). He has researched every object extensively. In addition to all silver and and other applied art objects made by Wolfers, the museum’s collection of furniture made for the private Wolfers residences is included in the catalogue. This approach contributes to a deeper understanding of the Wolfers production and of the art nouveau and art deco in Belgium in general.
The catalogue forms a part of Partage Plus, the Europeana project for the digitization and opening up of Europe’s art nouveau heritage.
Cahier 3: Meesterlijk (zilver)design. De Wolfersverzameling counts 135 pages (including an extensive hallmark repertory and bibliography) and is on sale for 12 euros from the museum shop.
Exhibition programme 2013
