34 x Design

until 27 Jan & 2 Feb to 14 Apr 2019

34 x Design unites 34 international highlights from the MAKK’s design collection in one exhibition. The show mirrors the changes in both taste and technology over a period of almost one hundred years of design history: from Rietveld’s Red-Blue Chair (1918) through to the 3D-printed Generico Chair from 2014.

The exhibition was conceived to support the publication of a new design book: Überall Design und wir mittendrin (We Are Surrounded by Design). Featuring humorous illustrations and information written in easy-to-understand language, the book is made for both children and adults. It not only provides interesting facts and figures on the 34 objects, but also on the people who designed them. The book is additionally available as an audio story accessible via a free app, which will make visiting the exhibition an exciting experience. Furthermore, new youth section of the museum’s website – superMAKKx – provides videos and tips for craftwork. The app also includes an audio guide with supplementary descriptions for adults and for visually impaired visitors.

With its internationally renowned collection, the MAKK owns one of the largest and most distinguished collections in Europe. Almost every noteworthy designer is represented with signature pieces. In 2005, the collection was extended with the excellent and very large donation by Prof. Richard G. Winkler. In addition to North American and Western European design from the 20th and 21st centuries, the Winkler collection also includes high-profile pieces from the visual arts. Following this donation, ten years ago, on 31 October 2008, the Art + Design in Dialogue department was reopened with a new vision, the first of its kind in Europe: design is not shown in isolation, but rather set in a dialogue with pieces from the visual arts, for example Mondrian and Rietveld.