Exhibition at Vitra Design Museum
The Vitra Design Museum in Weil am Rhein presents the first major exhibition on German design during the Cold War divide titled German Design: 1949 – 1989 Two Countries, One History.
Garden Egg Chair by Peter Ghyczy, 1968 Photograph: Juergen Hans
More than 30 years after reunification and a slow rapprochement, design in East and West Germany is presented as a shared history. The exhibition offers comprehensive insight into design narratives on both sides of the iron curtain, seeing the ideological differences as well as the vital cross-pollinations that contributed to the whole of German design history. Protagonists such as Egon Eiermann and Rudolf Horn are highlighted in the show, in addition to the iconic Garden Egg Chair by Peter Ghyczy that debuted in 1968. Two countries, one history – reveals the convergence of identity, ideology, global politics and design.
German Design: 1949 – 1989 Two Countries, One History is at the Vitra Design Museum until 5 September.