The good, the bad, the ugly

With a title that points ironically to the highly emotional potential of design and its reception, at Die Neue Sammlung Grcic inaugurates a new format of temporary exhibition.

Konstantin Grcic, chair_ONE, Magis, 2004. Photo: Gerhardt Kellermann © Konstantin Grcic

Konstantin Grcic is kicking off a new exhibition format at Die Neue Sammlung: from 2015 onwards, each year leading figures in design will be invited to devise a characteristic and site-specific presentation for the special architecture of the Paternoster Hall.

In his exhibition, Grcic devotes himself to three thematic areas. His Chair_ONE project is presented in the form of the 4-year development process, from first model to final product.

The collection at Die Neue Sammlung already features almost all the design phases of Chair_ONE – together they paint a picture of his ideas and how he approaches design. The exhibits are models made of wire, carton, sheet steel or 3D prints – and are juxtaposed with the final product made by Italian manufacturer Magis. What they reveal is Grcic’s serious and detailed inquiry into the best materials, the surface’s shape, the weight, and the overall volume.

In the form of some 30 products, in the Paternoster lifts themselves Konstantin Grcic is presenting key current items. An industrial designer by training, he primarily designs furniture, and his oeuvre is typified as much by stringency as it is by diversity. From flower tubs through tables and seats, shelves and luminaires, to chaise longues, Konstantin Grcic is at home working with the broadest variety of materials, be it plastic, wood, steel, marble or carbon. His designs stand out for their exceptional technological innovativeness, precision, efficient use of materials, and perfect forms.

Konstantin Grcic, prototype #4 (stress model) for stool_ONE (bar stool), 2004-2006. Photo: Gerhardt Kellermann © Konstantin Grcic

The third section centers on a scenographic installation of Grcic’s walk-through TT Pavilion, devised in 2014 as a tradefair stand for Audi. Hatchbacks, radiator elements and tank tops from the Audi TT are used as modules for the windows and folding doors, contrasting with the wood of the walls. The octagonal mobile architecture brings to mind the wooden houses of the likes of Jean Prouvé or Charlotte Perriand just as it does the plastic pavilion utopias of a Jean Benjamin Maneval or Matti Suuronen. Konstantin Grcic had his pavilion land like a UFO in front of a surreal landscape carried out by poster-maker René Birkner and painter Alina Birkner.

The exhibition will be accompanied by a publication featuring photos by Gerhardt Kellermann, designed by Lambl/Homburger, with an essay by Hubert Filser based on a conversation he moderated between Konstantin Grcic and Tim Bechthold, Head of Conservation, as well as an introduction to Grcic’s oeuvre by Angelika Nollert.

01 / 03

Left: Konstantin Grcic, model

Left: Konstantin Grcic, prototype

Konstantin Grcic, form model

from November 12, 2015 until September 18, 2016
Konstantin Grcic
The good, the bad and the ugly
curated by Angelika Nollert
co-curated by Xenia Riemann
With friendly support of Arflex Japan, Audi, Authentics, BD Ediciones, Böwer, Classicon, Driade, Emeco, Flos, Flötotto, Magis, Marsotto, Mattiazzi, Plank, Teracrea, Vitra
Supported by PIN. Freunde der Pinakothek der Moderne e.V
Die Neue Sammlung – The Design Museum
Türkenstraße 15, München

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