<![CDATA[
<body bgcolor="#ffffff" text="#666666" vlink="#000000" link="#000000s" alink="#FFFF00"><!-- InstanceBeginEditable name="SiteCatalyst code" -->
<!-- SiteCatalyst code version: H.10.
Copyright 1997-2007 Omniture, Inc. More info available at
http://www.omniture.com -->
<script language="JavaScript" src="http://moma.org/javascript/s_code.js"></script>
<script language="JavaScript"><!--
/* You may give each page an identifying name, server, and channel on
the next lines. */
s.pageName="Interactives : Exhibitions : 1996 : Dutch Design : Index"
s.server="moma.org"
s.channel="Interactives"
s.pageType="SubSubSection"
s.prop1=""
s.prop2=""
s.prop3="Exhibitions : 1996"
s.prop4="Interactives : Exhibitions : 1996"
s.prop5="SubSubSection"
/* E-commerce Variables */
s.campaign=""
s.state=""
s.zip=""
s.events=""
s.products=""
s.purchaseID=""
s.eVar1=""
s.eVar2=""
s.eVar3=""
s.eVar4=""
s.eVar5=""
/************* DO NOT ALTER ANYTHING BELOW THIS LINE ! **************/
var s_code=s.t();if(s_code)document.write(s_code)//--></script>
<script language="JavaScript"><!--
if(navigator.appVersion.indexOf('MSIE')>=0)document.write(unescape('%3C')+'!-'+'-')
//--></script><noscript><a href="http://www.omniture.com" title="Web Analytics"><img src="http://metrics.moma.org/b/ss/momaorg/1/H.10--NS/0" border="0" height="1" alt="" width="1" /></a></noscript><!--/DO NOT REMOVE/-->
<!-- End SiteCatalyst code version: H.10. -->
<!-- InstanceEndEditable --><!-- InstanceEndEditable --><!-- InstanceEndEditable --><!-- InstanceEndEditable --><!-- InstanceEndEditable --><!-- InstanceEndEditable --><!-- InstanceEndEditable --><!-- InstanceEndEditable -->
<center>
<img src="./no_frames/gifs/title.gif" border="0" height="55" alt="Contemporary Design from the Netherlands" align="TOP" width="410" />
<br />
<img src="./jpegs/cover.stools.jpeg" border="0" height="215" align="TOP" width="370" />
<table cellspacing="0" border="0" cellpadding="0" width="100%">
<tr valign="TOP" align="CENTER">
<td valign="TOP" align="LEFT" width="33%">
<a href="./no_frames/menubar.html">
<img src="./no_frames/gifs/toworks.gif" border="0" height="27" align="RIGHT" width="139" /></a><!--doublebreak-->
<br /><br />
</td>
</tr>
</table>
</center>
<blockquote>
<!--doublebreak-->
<br /><br />
Good design is a timeless concept, exemplified best by an object that is soundly
manufactured and beautiful, works efficiently for its purposes, and suggests
ideas that transcend its form and function. Beyond these criteria, at various
moments in history quality of design has been defined within parameters unique to
the time. Ours are times of concern and awareness. Fueled by a spreading
preoccupation with the environment and other social and political issues, today's
design is valued for its economy, simplicity, and sensibility. Designers have
embraced this stimulating intellectual exercise and have begun to produce objects
that are durable, reusable, and practical. Contemporary design is experimental in
its use of materials and is often inspired by genuine necessity. Still, it
sustains elements of surprise and deep intellectual beauty, because it relies
more on invention than on the elaboration of styles.
<!--doublebreak-->
<br /><br />
Examples of these trends can be found all over the world, but a group of
designers from the Netherlands has in recent years responded to current
expectations with a unanimity that merits particular attention. Many of them
celebrate ingenuity and economy in their work, transforming these qualities into
a coherent minimalist aesthetic. The objects they design are so visually spare as
to look "poor"—an illusion reflected neither in the manufacturing process, nor
in the retail price. These products, with their recycled pieces and mechanistic
compositions, often look industrial, yet in reality they are frequently
handcrafted and made in very limited series. These Dutch designers represent the
expressionistic and extremist wave of a more general global trend, and an
exhibition of their work is a way to address some crucial issues in contemporary
design.
<blockquote>
Paola Antonelli<br />
Associate Curator<br />
Department of Architecture and Design
</blockquote>
<!--doublebreak-->
<br /><br />
This exhibition is made possible by a generous grant from The Mondriaan
Foundation, Amsterdam. Additional support has been provided by The
Contemporary Arts Council of The Museum of Modern Art.
<br /><br /><br />
The <a href="./no_frames/fulltext.html">full text</a> of this essay is available.
<!--triplebreak-->
<br /><br /><br />
<!--doublebreak-->
<br /><br />
<font size="-1">
<!--Photo Credits, if any, go here.-->
©1997 The Museum of Modern Art, New York
</font>
</blockquote>
<!-- Google Tag Manager (noscript) -->
<noscript><iframe src="https://www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-NHWPNLJ"
height="0" width="0" style="display:none;visibility:hidden"></iframe></noscript>
<!-- End Google Tag Manager (noscript) -->
</body>
]]>