Antidote

French pioneer of collectible design, Hervé Van der Straeten presents a two-part score. On the one hand, he continues his research into volumes and movement, underlined by materials and colour. This opus, with its radical, graphic lines, takes a fresh, optimistic look, using shimmering lacquers, acid colours and Plexiglas to create a world of unbridled dynamism that is both cheerful and mysterious. On the other hand, there are pieces of cabinet-making with a mastery of composition and craftsmanship. These include a wardrobe in exotic woods marquetry, a cabinet in ebony and lapis, furniture entirely upholstered in parchment, and light fittings in bronze and rock crystal. It is a tribute to the excellence of the techniques developed in the designer's workshops just outside Paris. The exhibition is an antidote to the immediacy of our times.