Golden Age: Highlights of Dutch Graphic Design (1890–1990)
visual identity and exhibition design
visual identity, exhibition design, invitations, banners, posters, production
Golden Age: Highlights of Dutch Graphic Design (1890–1990) showcases key works of 20th-century Dutch graphic design. These represent the peaks of the Art Nouveau, De Stijl, expressionist, Dutch constructivist and post-war rationalist movements. Individually and collectively, the designs represent a unique, surprisingly coherent cultural tradition. Workshops, lectures and guided tours accompanied Golden Age on its travels and generated cross-cultural exchange. The travelling exhibition premiered In Bucharest and subsequently visited Sofia, Breda, Istanbul, Ljubljana, Warsaw and Brno.
design Our main challenge was to come up with a flexible design that could adapt itself to various venues. The exhibition had to be erected and dismantled in a short period of time, before being transported in one container to the next venue. The need for flexibility resulted in a series of frames that function as poster stands and glass cabinets that contain all graphic collateral (books, magazine, stamps, flyers, brochures).
client Premsela was the name of the Dutch Platform for Design and Fashion. Premsela was named after legendary Dutch designer Benno Premsela (1920–1997). A vocal contributor to the design scene, he was also a leader of the Dutch gay movement. As a designer, advisor and organiser, he remains a source of inspiration to many. When he died in 1997, his death announcement read, ‘The most valuable thing he left behind is space. It is our task to preserve that space, and – where possible – to expand it.’
In 2013 it merged with the Netherlands Architecture Institute and the Virtual Platform to form a single national design organization called Het Nieuwe Instituut.
collaborators
Dingeman Kuilman, project director
Cees W. de Jong, curator
Vaclav Pozarek with COMA, exhibition design
articles & links
design.nl, review
Dingeman Kuilman, The Golden Age in Bucharest
