The Memphis group of Italian designers and architects was one of the most unusual phenomena in the design of the past decades. Despite its short-lived existence from 1981 to 1987, its history and impact are legendary. With their bright colours and fantastic patterns, Memphis designs seemed to have walked off the pages of a comic book and gave rise to a completely new look in which popular culture, an advertising aesthetic, and post-modernism merged in a crazy medley. Forty years after the group was founded, the exhibition »Memphis: 40 Years of Kitsch and Elegance« at the Vitra Design Museum Gallery presents objects, drawings, and material from the archives giving insight into the Memphis world. The group’s main protagonists will also be introduced, from its mentor Ettore Sottsass to Michele de Lucchi, Martine Bedin, Michael Graves, Barbara Radice, Peter Shire, and Shiro Kuramata.
| Hours | TBD |
| Venue | Vitra Design Museum |
| Type | Museum Exhibition |
| Duration | Hours TBD |
| City | Weil am Rhein |
About
Vitra Design Museum
The Vitra Design Museum, designed by Frank Gehry, numbers among the world's leading museums of design. It is dedicated to the research and presentation of design, past and present, and examines design's relationship to architecture, art and everyday culture. The work of the Vitra Design Museum is based on its collection, which includes not only key objects of design history, but also the estates of several important design personalities. The museum library and document archive are available to researchers upon request. The museum conceives its exhibitions for touring, and they are shown at venues around the world. On the Vitra Campus, they are complemented by a diverse program of events, guided tours, and workshops.
