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Indepth Arts News:
"Ladislav Sutnar: Designer in Two Worlds"
2004-07-09 until 2004-09-19
Neues Museum - Staatliches Museum für Kunst und Design in Nürnberg
Nuremberg, ,
DE Germany
The Czech designer Ladislav Sutnar (1897 Pilsen – 1976 New York) is considered one of the great pioneers of the modern period. He broke new ground in both design philosophy and form, and gained acceptance for ideas that are now common currency.
A multifaceted talent, from the 1920s onward he could be counted among the community of European designers and architects seeking to ameliorate the quality of life for broad segments of the population by improving their living conditions. Inspired by the Bauhaus, Sutnar devoted himself to designing books and magazines, toys and puppet theaters, textiles and household appliances in glass, metal, and porcelain, and to architecture and exhibitions; he also published theoretical treatises and provided an important impulse for the teaching of graphic design. He thus had a profund influence on the lifestyle of the Czech middle classes in the period before the Second World War.
Having immigrated to the United States in 1939, he continued to play a role as one of the foremost personalities in the Euro-American avant-garde. His futuristic vision paved the way for the development of today’s principles of information design. He created the basis for modern visual communication in corporate design and advertising, and even lent his talents to the cause of environmental protection.
This first retrospective of Ladislav Sutnar’s work of both his European and American periods demonstrates that the work of this world-class designer deserves to be discovered anew. From toys to town planning, from posters to book, information and exhibition design – this year’s Neue Sammlung exhibition at the Neues Museum in Nuremberg presents 350 objects that explore the broad and manifold oeuvre of this avant-garde artist.
The exhibition was initiated by the Museum of Decorative Arts Prague in cooperation with the Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum (Smithsonian Institution) in New York.
A catalogue in English will be available. 390 pages, with many illustrations in color. 35 Euro
Homepage: www.sutnar.com
IMAGE
Advertising Leaflet for Firma Addo-x
1956–1959
Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, New York
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