Iconic lines, pioneering movements, and timeless pieces… This section explores the legacies of design that continue to inspire today’s creators. A bridge between past and present, craftsmanship and vision.
Did you know that the color mauve was considered revolutionary in 1856? That a simple Colgate toothpaste tube forever changed our relationship to hygiene? That Steve Jobs drew inspiration from a calligraphy course to create computer typography? Why are Louis XIV furniture pieces so gilded? Why are our smartphones all rectangular? Design is never innocent….
Ulm, Germany, 1953. On a hill overlooking the city, Max Bill inaugurates the Hochschule für Gestaltung (HfG Ulm), a design school that aims to reconnect with the legacy of the Bauhaus closed by the Nazis in 1933. But Ulm will not be a simple resurrection: it will radicalize the rationalist approach, develop a scientific methodology…
196O: a new (design) Revolution is coming… The organic design movement experienced a significant boom in the late 1950s, building upon the pioneering work of figures like Eero Saarinen. The 1960s marked a radical turning point in contemporary design history. Amidst social upheavals and the excitement of technological progress, design evolved from functionalism to emotional,…
Moscow, 1917. While Parisian Art Deco celebrated the luxury of the interwar period and Dutch De Stijl pursued pure abstraction, the October Revolution shook Russia and gave birth to one of the most radical artistic movements of the 20th century. Russian Constructivism emerged from revolutionary chaos, carried by an unshakeable conviction: art must no longer…
Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, 1932. While the Great Depression paralyzes America and Streamline Moderne begins transforming the American industrial landscape, Finnish architect Eliel Saarinen founds an institution that will revolutionize American design: the Cranbrook Academy of Art. Far from the New York or California metropolises, in the affluent suburbs of Detroit, this school invents a unique…
(POST IN PROGRESS) Amsterdam, 1917. While Art Deco triumphed in Paris with its geometric ornaments and refined luxury, a group of Dutch artists and architects chose a radically opposite path. In a Europe torn apart by World War I, they founded a magazine that would give its name to one of the most radical movements…
New York, 1933. The “Century of Progress” World’s Fair in Chicago celebrated American technological progress at the heart of the Great Depression. While Europe sank into political tensions and Russian Constructivism faded under Stalin, America invented a radically new visual language: Streamline Moderne. This style, which would transform everything – from toasters to locomotives, from…
Le Corbusier Paris, 1925. Dans son atelier de la rue de Sèvres, Charles-Édouard Jeanneret, dit Le Corbusier, dessine l’avenir de l’architecture moderne. Révolutionnaire suisse naturalisé français, cet homme au nœud papillon noir ne se contente pas de concevoir des bâtiments : il réinvente l’art de vivre au XXe siècle. Architecte, urbaniste, peintre et théoricien, Le…
Modern design, minimalist design, or organic design: these decorative vocabulary terms may seem vague, but they reveal distinct philosophies. Organic design, an artistic movement born in the 1950s, revolutionizes our relationship with space by placing harmony between humans and nature at the heart of its creative approach. What is Organic Design? Complete Definition Organic design…
1900 – “The fire ignites in the spirit” – Le Corbusier A creative fire indeed—one that swept across Europe, taking root in England as Modern Style, in France as Art Nouveau, in Germany as Jugendstil, and in Austria as Secessionsstil. While critics derided it as “noodle style,” “metro style,” or even “tapeworm style,” its legacy…
Louis XVI Style: When France Triumphs over Antiquity The Apex of French Neoclassicism • 1774-1792 The Louis XVI style revolutionizes Western art by consecrating the definitive return to Antiquity and the apex of French neoclassicism. This aesthetic revolution reflects the intellectual evolution of French society in the late 18th century: from Enlightenment erudition to antique…
Louis XV Style: When France Invented the Art of Living The Louis XV style revolutionizes Western art by substituting grace for grandeur, intimacy for pomp. This aesthetic transformation reflects the profound evolution of 18th-century French society: from the Versailles court to Parisian life, from royal ceremony to bourgeois comfort. The French rococo becomes the first…
