From Henning Koppel’s iconic silver Fish dish for Georg Jensen to the egalitarian designs of Finnish clothing company Marimekko, the timeless and classic beauty of Scandinavian design will be celebrated in a new NGV exhibition, Nordic Cool: Modernist Design, from 28 February 2015.
Drawn from the NGV’s rich collection of Nordic design and on display in the Decorative Arts Passage at NGV International, the exhibition will showcase key designers and manufacturers of the 1920s to 1960s, encompassing ceramics, glass, silverware, furniture, textiles and lighting. Through pieces as varied as Alvar Aalto’s organic glass Savoy vase and the elegantly functional PH 4/3 table lamp by Poul Henningsen, the exhibition highlights the surprisingly diverse spectrum of aesthetics within Scandinavian design.
Tony Ellwood, Director, NGV, said, ‘Nordic Cool illustrates the NGV’s great history of collecting design. Many of the works were purchased as contemporary pieces through the Felton Bequest more than sixty years ago, yet they endure as modern design classics and are frequently referenced by contemporary designers working around the world today.’
Nordic Cool marks the first time that the Gallery’s holdings of Nordic design have been shown in their entirety, and will include two significant new acquisitions of lighting design by the famous Danish designer Poul Henningsen. These will be presented as part of interior ‘vignettes’, including a dressing room complete with Marimekko dress and Hans Wegner’s 1950 Valet chair. Nordic Cool will also explore the strong furniture tradition in Scandinavian design through more than a dozen chairs including Alvar Aalto’s Armchair 41, a 1930s design classic that demonstrates the radical possibilities of moulded birch plywood.
Nordic Cool will exhibit a range of ceramics from key design houses including Sweden’s Gustavsberg and Rörstrand Porslinfabrik and Danish works by the Royal Copenhagen Porcelain Manufactory, alongside silver from the famous Danish manufacturers of Georg Jensen and A. Michelsen. A. Michelsen, renowned for their distinctively beautiful dining wares, produced much of the everyday tablewares used by the Danish royal family and are represented in Nordic Cool through pieces including a Sugar sifter, Tea caddy, Cigarette cup and classic cutlery.
A series of public programs will accompany the exhibition including free curator floor talks. Visit ngv.vic.gov.au for further information. A selection of Scandinavian design objects will also be available at the NGV design store as part of a collaborative project between the NGV and Melbourne design store Make Designed Objects.
Nordic Cool: Modernist Design will be on display at NGV International from 28 February 2015 to 31 December 2015. Open 10am-5pm, closed Tuesdays. Free entry.