polish design 1955-1968: we want to be modern the national museum in warsaw february 4th to april 17th, 2011

polish design 1955-1968: we want to be modern, warsaw, poland image courtesy of DeTnk

this pioneering exhibition of approximately 180 objects from the collection of the national museum in warsaw, featuring the most important examples of polish design, rarely seen in the west, explores the significance of the objects of everyday use in shaping modernity and the modern polish identity emerging during the post-thaw period.

the collection of post-1945 design in the national museum in warsaw is the most comprehensive in poland, and the exhibition benefits from it, showing a whole range of applied arts of the period, including ceramics, glass, textiles, furniture, and other household objects, periodicals, photographs, and films.

polish design 1955 1968: we want to be modern - 2 exhibition view image courtesy of jan lutyk

apart from its focus on the purely aesthetic values of the objects presented in glass cases, the exhibition also shows ‘social lives’ of the works on display, namely the ways in which those objects were represented in periodicals and films promoting modern forms of life, and the ways in which they were used by real consumers in private interiors of the socialist poland. this aspect of the exhibition is enhanced by a multimedia presentation of various features of the material culture of the post-thaw poland, with a range of film clips of the period.

polish design 1955 1968: we want to be modern - 3 exhibiting prints on wall image courtesy of jan lutyk

the exhibition presents one of the most exciting periods of polish design, between the political thaw of 1955 and the social changes brought in 1968. spanning just over 10 years, the period gave rise to an abundance of daring experiments that made a lasting impact on design for years to come. it was the political thaw that led to a sudden, new embrace of modernism. however, for the most eminent designers, such as roman modzelewski or teresa kruszewska, it did not mean resorting to an earlier mechanical constructivism, but rather a new art of organic forms, paralleling the work of alvar aalto or charles and ray eames. after socialist realism, abstract painting was particularly attractive for artists and part of the viewers. abstract art was identified with freedom. design embraced this idiom as well, and patterns on ceramics often followed the aesthetic of art informal and matter painting. ceramic glazes of rich colours resemble paint thickly applied to canvas.

polish design 1955 1968: we want to be modern - 4 roman modzelewski’s red armchair sits in the fore front image courtesy of jan lutyk

polish design 1955 1968: we want to be modern - 5 chairs by jan kurzątkowski (left) image courtesy of o.pl (right) image © mariusz cieszewski / www.poland.gov.pl

the second half of the 1950s saw the production of a series of the most sophisticated chairs, such as those designed by teresa kruszewska, maria chomentowska, and jan kurzątkowski. despite a wide interest in new synthetic materials, which were the result of scientific research, access to them was limited in poland. even so, several designers, such as roman modzelewski and czesław knothe, did produce pioneering furniture from synthetic fibres at the end of the 1950s. in furniture experiments, metal frames were filled with metal netting, nylon cord, straw or wicker. the end result could evoke more of a sculpture than a piece of furniture.

polish design 1955 1968: we want to be modern - 6 image © mariusz cieszewski / www.poland.gov.plpolish design 1955 1968: we want to be modern - 7 image © mariusz cieszewski / www.poland.gov.plpolish design 1955 1968: we want to be modern - 8 image © mariusz cieszewski / www.poland.gov.plpolish design 1955 1968: we want to be modern - 9 image courtesy of jan lutykpolish design 1955 1968: we want to be modern - 10 advertisements are hung on the wall displaying the way in which each piece was marketed image © mariusz cieszewski / www.poland.gov.pl

polish design 1955 1968: we want to be modern - 11 ceramics image courtesy of jan lutyk

polish design 1955 1968: we want to be modern - 12 image courtesy of jan lutykpolish design 1955 1968: we want to be modern - 13 image © mariusz cieszewski / www.poland.gov.plpolish design 1955 1968: we want to be modern - 14 ‘alfa’ by krzysztof meisner + olgierd rutkowski + zakłady artystyczno-badawcze image © mariusz cieszewski / www.poland.gov.pl

polish design 1955 1968: we want to be modern - 15 image © mariusz cieszewski / www.poland.gov.plpolish design 1955 1968: we want to be modern - 16 opening night image courtesy of jan lutyk

polish design 1955 1968: we want to be modern - 17 designer ross lovegrove on opening night image courtesy of jan lutyk

polish design 1955 1968: we want to be modern - 18 exhibit designer miśka miller-lovegrove image courtesy of jan lutyk curators: anna maga, anna frąckiewicz, anna demska exhibition design: miśka miller-lovegrove with the cooperation of małgorzata benedek exhibition graphics: rafał benedek, antonina benedek / mesmer studio international communication: paulina shearing / the national museum in warsaw and anna pietrzyk-simone / young creative poland