On view at Demisch Danant, Mises en Scène presents six interior rotating scenes inspired by period photographs. Each vignette focuses on one or two works, and a documentation panel offers a glimpse of the narrative behind each work. This exhibition aims to translate historical design to a contemporary context.
A single photo can be the inspiration to investigate a designer and eventually collect their work. Suzanne Demisch and Stephane Danant started researching French 20th century design in the late 1990s, mainly from period magazines like l’Oeil, and Maison Française:
“Design books were scarce then, and primary sources were not online yet, so when you wanted to study a designer, you had to go to the library. Even then, it was challenging to find a library that had the documents you needed.
We bought magazines at flea markets and combed every page to identify a work we had seen, or new works that we were looking for. If you were lucky, you could find a designer’s archives at an auction sale. We really enjoyed this discovery process and its adventures. Our libraries, in New York and in Paris, are full of archival images and documentation.”
- Suzanne Demisch
| Hours | Monday to Friday10:00 AM - 6:00 PM; Saturday and Sunday; 12:00 PM - 5:00 PM |
| Venue | Demisch Danant |
| Type | Design Exhibition |
| Duration | 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM |
| City | New York City |
About
Demisch Danant
Demisch Danant was founded in 2005 by Suzanne Demisch and Stephane Danant. The gallery specializes in twentieth-century French design with an emphasis on the late 1950s through the 1970s and represents the work of Maria Pergay, Pierre Paulin, Jacques Dumond, Joseph-André Motte, Pierre Guariche, Michel Boyer, Antoine Philippon & Jacqueline Lecoq and René-Jean Caillette. Curated exhibitions on historical work are presented within environments that reference architecture and interiors of the era. Demisch Danant is dedicated to research and scholarship on French design and has published and authored monographs including Antoine Philippon and Jacqueline Lecoq, Maria Pergay: Complete Works 1957-2010, Maria Pergay by François Halard, and Maria Pergay: Sketch Book. Current projects include a comprehensive monograph on seminal designer Joseph-André Motte and a new book about works by Sheila Hicks commissioned for architectural projects.
