21st Century Design

Mathias Bengtsson's 'Growth Chair' (2012),
from Galerie Maria Wettergren, €85,000

The Financial Times takes a look at the growing interest in 21st Century design.  The article looks at the upcoming London fair,  Pavilion of Art and Design (PAD) which is being held in London October 16-20 with its primary focus on new design.

As appraisers, we have a responsibility to our clients to understand what is trending, and that includes interest in new items as well a waning interest in other items.  Interest in newly created items and designs seems to be on the rise with fairs and shows such as PAD and Design Miami/Base.

The Financial Times reports

Patrick Perrin, founder of PAD, points out that PAD was embracing the new when Design Miami/Basel was just a twinkle in founder Craig Robins’ eyes. “We were the first fair in the world to exhibit design and 20th-century objects at a time when artist-designers were virtually ignored and unknown,” Perrin says. “Then, from showing the mid-20th century, galleries started to creep towards the 1970s and 1980s but now we include work that is only three, two or even one year old. That is largely a reflection of interest among collectors.”

However, this shiny new arm of the decorative arts offers Perrin its own challenges: “It is more difficult to find one good gallery of design than it is to find 100 good galleries of contemporary paintings,” he says.

Collector Kenny Schachter says the appeal of investing in 21st-century pieces is that there is no consensus as yet. “It is the most exciting branch of art to be involved in right now, because it is a baby market. It doesn’t take a genius to buy a Jean Prouvé, an Eileen Gray or a Jean-Michel Frank – this is about stepping out on your own rather than having those sensibilities foisted upon you.”

Arguably, it is the injection of post-2010 pieces that keeps a fair such as PAD lively. “Iconic” designs may have genius stamped all over them but, to the art-weary visitor, they do induce a sensation of déjà vu. They also encourage a tickbox mentality among collectors that mirrors that of the fine art world. For Damien Hirst, Tracey Emin and Marc Quinn, substitute Marc Newson, Ron Arad and Zaha Hadid. How much more stimulating it is to be faced with an object you know nothing about.

Contemporary design fascinates those such as Schachter because often it brings current technologies and processes together with traditional hand skills and noble materials. It pays lip-service to function, but is all about narrative. It may take the form of furniture, lighting or any other decorative object but – like all art movements – it is a barometer of the small piece of time we inhabit.

Source: The Financial Times