25 years grci c for classi con

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2 25 years grci c for classi con

3 1. Collaboration of Konstantin Grcic and ClassiCon The collaboration between Konstantin Grcic and ClassiCon started in Grcic had just established his office KGID, and ClassiCon had been founded one year earlier. From the beginning, their common ground was mutual appreciation and open-mindedness with regard to the character of the designs that Grcic soon began to develop. It took quite some courage to juxtapose a collection characterised by the iconic furniture of classic modernism with a voluminous table such as Pallas, made of folded sheet metal, or to believe in the Chaos chair, which seemed to break with all unwritten rules of form, proportions and comfort, although it would soon prove the opposite: an extremely comfortable chair which, in its radicalness, also represented a liberation for ClassiCon and a movement towards a new, strong and contemporary design language. The collaboration hence changed both Grcic and ClassiCon. For Grcic, it was a maturation process, allowing him to bid farewell to the traditional formal canon; for ClassiCon, it entailed the opening of the collection to the avant-garde, allowing other designers to follow suit. With his newest design for the 25th anniversary, Grcic has, at first glance, created an almost classic daybed compared with his beginnings at ClassiCon; however, with a simple headrest mechanism and oak as the material, he has given it a contemporary update. KG: Only a long-term collaboration with manufacturers will lead to enormous quality and truly radical, strong products because it allows you to go much further into the extreme to seriously deal with the question how everyday and typical things can be adjusted to our time by examining them with regard to new possibilities with regard to production and technology. OH: With his timeless attitude, Konstantin Grcic is absolutely at the cutting edge of contemporary design. He is a prudent perfectionist with a formal language that first questions the existing and then redesigns products with a craftsman s sense for the design s pragmatism and an intelligent sense of humour in the details. 2. Anniversary Edition The ClassiCon/Grcic Edition marking the 25th anniversary of the successful collaboration has given a makeover to Konstantin Grcic s most striking designs for ClassiCon, transforming them into a monochromatic series in black. With surfaces of matte or glossy lacquers, black-burnished metal and fabrics with colour depth such as the velvet from the Raf Simons for Kvadrat collection, the furniture obtains a timeless elegance and is newly united as a monochromatic ensemble. In addition, Grcic has designed a new piece

4 of furniture especially for the anniversary that is also part of the black edition and is added to the ClassiCon collection: a wooden daybed. KG: I have intentionally selected black because it is a colour that represents classic modernism and its existential objectivity. But black is also a clear, modern statement: pure, topical and radical. OH: You will notice the diversity of the shades only if you take a closer look: an almost three-dimensional nylon mesh of the Mars chair, the metallic effect of the Diana side tables or the soft-touch surface of the Pallas table, which almost looks rubberised. 3. Portfolio Studio Achermann in Zurich was able to enlist the Iranian-Swiss photo artist Shirana Shahbazi to adequately present and capture the black ClassiCon/Grcic Edition. She staged the eight models of the anniversary edition identically in two versions: set against a black background and in contrast with multi-coloured surfaces. As is the case with her own work, she focuses on the suspension of reality, the clearly defined forms and the dimensions. For the version set against a black background, she plays with the monochrome background, revealing the clear linearity of Grcic s designs due to the incidence of light and change of perspectives. In contrast with the coloured elements, she abstracts the three-dimensionality of the furniture into a shining composition that breaks down the individual forms of triangles, squares and angles into adjoining surfaces. The interchange between surface and depth cites Piet Mondrian s constructivism and thus emphasises the artistic quality of Grcic s design. 4. M i l a n O The edition and original photos taken by Shirana Shahbazi will be presented during the Salone di Mobile in Milan in a separate exhibition room from April The black furniture will be displayed against a monochrome background in a black box. The observers perception of the installation is curated through intentionally established viewpoints from the outside of the box and in this way is formally and aesthetically sensitised. The installation will be celebrated with a vernissage one day before the official opening of the trade fair. 5. CV Konstantin Grcic Konstantin Grcic (*1965) trained as a carpenter and then studied design with John Makepeace in Dorset at the Royal College of Art. In 1991 he founded Konstantin Grcic Industrial Design (KGID) in Munich. The internationally award-winning designer, whose works

5 are on display in the permanent exhibitions of the MoMA in New York and Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris, has worked for renowned companies, from Nespresso and Muji to Vitra and Flos, curated exhibitions and designed the German Pavilion of the Venice Biennial in Solo exhibitions in Rotterdam, Munich, Chicago and Weil am Rhein celebrated his always functional objects that are oriented towards humans and combine formal rigour with sharp-mindedness and humour. His trademark is the occupation with design history, which precedes each of his designs, and the derivation of the formal canon. Often described a minimalist, Grcic prefers the term simplicity for the key leitmotif of his work as a designer. 6. CV Shirana Shahbazi Shirana Shahbazi was born in 1974 in Tehran, Iran. She studied photography at the Dortmund University of Applied Sciences and Art and at the Zurich University of the Arts. Shirana Shahbazi s work reflects a continuous process between the picture and its surface, the various artistic techniques and their iconic characteristics. The complex interaction between photography and painting plays a key role in her work. Her recent abstract, geometric photographs were completely created in the studio, where she placed coloured geometric forms and surfaces and captured them from different perspectives with single or multiple exposures. Each of these colour or black/white compositions differentiates between the two- and three-dimensional and the representational and abstract. In 2003 Shahbazi participated in the Venice Biennial and has been exhibiting in important museums worldwide, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Winterthur Photo Museum and the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles. Today she lives and works in Zurich. 7. CV Studio Achermann Studio Achermann was founded by Beda Achermann in 1990 in Munich, then in Zurich. Beda Achermann was also the founder and Creative Director of the legendary Männer Vogue. Achermann s outstanding contacts with the art and photography world, which also form the basis of his studio s top calibre work, were recently celebrated in the illustrated book Big Time The Legendary Style of Männer Vogue published by Steidl. The passionate collector of contemporary photo art quickly developed the Zurich design office into a worldwide stylistic talent pool. Its international fields of activity include fashion (e.g. Vogue, Chanel, Dior), art (Hauser & Wirth Galerie, Lumas Foundation), advertising and lifestyle (Smart), but also aesthetically valuable annual reports (e.g. for Migros, Zumtobel), catalogues (Laufen) and book projects.

6 8. CV ClassiCon ClassiCon emerged from the traditional Vereinigte Werkstätten in Munich. In 1990, the acquisition of licences for designers of classic modernism, including Eileen Gray, Eckart Muthesius and Otto Blümel, laid the cornerstone for the company. From the beginning, the concept sought the field of tension between classics and contemporary modernism; hence, renowned designers continued the series, among them Konstantin Grcic, Alfredo Häberli, Barber Osgerby and Sebastian Herkner. They are united by their formal quality, functionality and timeless aesthetics, all decisive criteria for new designs for ClassiCon. When Oliver Holy took over the management of the company in 2002, he commissioned the construction of new corporate offices in Munich, symbiotically merging design, art and architecture. In the same year, Holy realised the first workbook about Konstantin Grcic s work with a solo show in Milan. A solo show with designs by Alfredo Häberli followed one year later. Holy also intensified the creative collaboration with architects and, for example, developed the furnishings for Museum Brandhorst in Munich with Sauerbruch Hutton, which resulted in the creation of a special furniture collection. ClassiCon continued this concept with a series designed by Shanghai based architects Neri&Hu. Holy sums up his philosophy: Each piece is characterised by originality and high quality. Time determines what has real quality.

7 9. spotti milan Since 1986, Spotti has been offering its experience in design to compose the perfect furniture for living environments. In its showrooms the company selects furniture and accessories of the best Italian and international brands and suggests solutions to create a space that reflects the individual personalities. The company is dedicated to the home but also to the workplace and reception areas, providing assistance both to private individuals and architects. Spotti hosts the exhibition 25 YEARS GRCIC FOR CLASSICON an installation that will transform the windows of the Viale Piave 27 showroom into a monochrome space hosting eight iconic pieces designed by Konstantin Grcic in a totally black edition. The original photographs of the Black Edition taken by the artist Shirana Shahbazi complete the installation. Spotti Milan Viale Piave Milan EXHIBITION 25 YEARS KONSTANTIN GRCIC April am to 7 pm PRESS PREVIEW 11 April 3 pm to 7 pm We thank our longtime partner Spotti Milan for their kind collaboration in hosting this exhibition.

8 Diana B, design Konstantin Grcic, photo Shirana Shahbazi

9 Diana B, design Konstantin Grcic, photo Shirana Shahbazi

10 Diana B, design Konstantin Grcic, photo Shirana Shahbazi

11 Diana B, design Konstantin Grcic, photo Shirana Shahbazi

12 Download press images ClassiCon Headquarters Sigmund-Riefler-Bogen München Germany contact Press contact Alexandra Böninger Tel Fax Mobile ab@classicon.com Studio Achermann, Zurich

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