Objects of desire: surrealism and design 1924-today

Abstract

Surrealism expanded our reality by drawing upon myths, dreams, and the subconscious as sources of artistic inspiration. Beginning in the 1930s, the movement made a crucial impact on design, and it continues to inspire designers to this day. "Objects of Desire: Surrealism and Design" is the first book to document this fascinating conversation. It includes numerous essays and a comprehensive selection of images which traces these reciprocal exchanges by juxtaposing exemplary artworks and design objects. Among the featured artists and designers are Gae Aulenti, Achille Castiglioni, Giorgio de Chirico, Le Corbusier, Salvador Dali, Marcel Duchamp, Antoni Gaudi, Frederick Kiesler, Rene Magritte, Carlo Mollino, Meret Oppenheim, and many others. The book is rounded off with historical text material as well as short texts and statements by contemporary designers. This in- depth examination makes one thing abundantly clear: form does not always follow function - it can also follow our obsessions, our fantasies, and our hidden desires. ------ Exhibition: Vitra Design Museum, Weil am Rhein, Germany (28.09.2019-19.01.2020) / CaixaForum, Barcelona, Spain (02.-06.2020).

Contents

Essays. Objects of desire. A short design history of surrealism / Mateo Kries ; Lyrical forms, divergent functions: between surrealism and design / Krzzysztof Fijalkowski ; Sensations of the ordinary: the image of objects between strangeness and affection / Claudia Mareis ; Let women in! Surrealism between design, misogyny, and the gender binary / Vera Sacchetti ; Notes on Carlo Mollino and surrealism / Napoleone Ferrari ; The surreal life: notes on surrealistic interiors and scenography / Tanja Cunz ; Dissident designs and ethnographic surrealisms / Alex Coles