Design Museum During Winter 2008

International Design Exhibitions in London

Nov 29, 2008 Frances Spiegel

This unique museum is offering three exhibitions: "Design Cities", "Alan Aldridge - the Man with the Kaleidoscope Eyes" and "Patricia Urquiola - Purely Porcelain".

The Design Museum is one of London's more unusual exhibition centres. The museum is currently offering three fascinating international displays.

Design Cities

Seven of the world's major cities feature in this exhibition. One specific year has been selected for an examination of the contemporary design trends prevalent in each city during the chosen year.

The exhibition starts with London in 1851 at the time of the Great Exhibition and moves on to Vienna in 1908. The show includes designs by Josef Hoffman, Austrian architect and designer of consumer goods, such as Sitzmachine No.670 Adjustable Armchair. The exhibition looks at Dessau in 1928 including the Bauhaus followed by the Paris of Le Corbusier in 1936. Los Angeles in 1949 comes next and includes designs by Charles and Ray Eames. The display then looks at Milan in 1957, Tokyo in 1987, returning to London in 2008.

The exhibition reflects each city at the height of its creativity and includes a wide variety of objects including textiles, fashion, furniture, prints and industrial items by a host of designers such as Ron Arad, Marcel Breuer, Christopher Dresser, Adolf Loos, Le Corbusier, Eileen Gray, Achille Castiglioni, Zaha Hadid and William Morris.

Publication and Public Events

There will be a full and varied programme of public events, including talks and seminars exploring all aspects of contemporary design. In addition, a book entitled Design Cities – Eight Moments that Changed the World is available from the Design Museum shop.

Alan Aldridge - the Man with the Kaleidoscope Eyes

This exhibition explores the career of Alan Aldridge through letters, sketches, films, photographs and personal items.

Known for his astonishing graphic designs his illustrations include lyric books for the Beatles, album covers for the Who, Elton John and the Rolling Stones. Aldridge also created the iconic Chelsea Girls film poster commissioned by Andy Warhol. Aldridge designed advertisements and created corporate identities for the House of Blues and the Hard Rock Café.

Aldridge illustrated a number of books including The Penguin Book of Comics, a history of British and American comic art, The Butterfly Ball and the Grasshopper's Feast and its sequel, The Peacock Party. The photograph shows Madame Bella Donna from The Peacock Party.

The Man with Kaleidoscope Eyes - Publication

To support the exhibition Thames & Hudson have published The Man with Kaleidoscope Eyes written by Alan Aldridge.

Patricia Urquiola – Purely Porcelain

Spanish born Patricia Urquiola is one of the most exciting designers of the 21st Century. The exhibition includes items from her most recent porcelain range, Landscape, created for ceramic manufacturers, Rosenthal. Urquiola spent four years developing this product and the display shows how such a range is designed, from initial idea to finished item.

All three exhibitions can be seen at the Design Museum, Shad Thames, London SE1 2YD, 10.00-17.45 daily, Telephone 00 44 (0) 870 833 9955.

Design Cities runs from 5 September – 4 January 2009. Alan Aldridge - the Man with the Kaleidoscope Eyes and Patricia Urquiola – Purely Porcelain will run from 10 October 2008 - 25 January 2009.

The copyright of the article Design Museum During Winter 2008 in Art Galleries/Museums is owned by Frances Spiegel. Permission to republish Design Museum During Winter 2008 in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Landscape 02 by Patricia Urquiola	Regal Storage Unit Charles and Ray Eames	Madame Bella Donna, from The Peacock Party
Sitzmachine No.670, Adjustable Armchair, 1904