Fake Nylon

“Most people spend their lives living in dreary, beige conformity, mortally afraid of using colours. The main purpose of my work is to provoke people into using their imagination and make their surroundings more exciting.” – Verner Panton

As a child, Danish designer and architect Verner Panton (1926–1998) had always dreamt of a large room full of colourful cushions. His designs reveal that love for bold colours and his preference for spatial harmony and comfort.

Unlike his peers who followed the Scandinavian handcrafted tradition, Panton was eager to explore new possibilities and seek new ways of living. As early as in the 1950s, he was experimenting with new materials and industrial production techniques to create playful and radical works such as coloured plastic and steel wire-framed furniture. In his opinion, ‘colour is more important than form’, and a good combination of colours could add depth and three-dimensionality to a space. But he did not neglect the object’s form either – the simple geometric shapes or organic forms in his works often challenged conventions and encouraged ‘interaction’ between the user and the object.

Over a career that spanned almost half a century, Panton emerged as one of the most colourful, imaginative, innovative and forward-looking designers of the 20th century. This exhibition showcases more than 100 of his chairs, lamps, textiles and sculptures, seeking to capture the diversity of his works, which contributed significantly to the development of design in the latter half of the 20th century.

An exhibition of the Vitra Design Museum, Weil am Rhein, Germany
FRI 15 MAY 2009 – SUN 12 JUL 2009 10:00am – 6:00pm
National Museum of Singapore – Exhibition Gallery 2

For information please visit http://www.nationalmuseum.sg.

Image: Phantasy landscape Visiona 2. Cologne furniture fair 1970 © Panton Design, Basel