Nordic Design: The Response to the Bauhaus

Thus the particular living conditions in Finland brought unique aesthetic outcomes whose roots are to be found in the landscape and nature. In Sweden German concepts fused with local traditions. In accordance with the Swedish welfare state, all strata of the population should have access to good design; subsequently, from the 1960s on, Ikea turned Swedish concepts into successful exports the world over.
And Denmark focused on craftsmanship in lieu of industrial manufacturing. For Kaare Klint, the father of Danish design, design revolved around people and their anatomy. In the 1950s and 1960s, Danish design became the epitome of the Scandinavian aesthetic.

In the Nordic countries it is not the avant-garde that stands at the fore, as is often the case in Germany, but a bespoke solution for a specific task. Scandinavian Functionalism, therefore, does not have to constantly reinvent itself; rather it becomes a constant that informs the identities of the Nordic nations.

From the Finnish architect and designer Alvar Aalto, via the father of Swedish Functionalism Sen Markelius, to the internationally celebrated Danish designers Hans J. Wegner and Arne Jacobsen, the publication guides the reader through the developments of Nordic Modernism in the 1950s and 1960s.

Alongside large-format illustrations, well-researched essays from renowned experts provide insight into the country-specific developments and overarching topics such as child-oriented design, democratic form, and the hyge phenomenon. The book concludes with futuristic designs by Verner Panton, Eero Aarnio and Marimekko, who made their mark on the Nordic countries’ ultimate break with Functionalism.


Exhibition Nordic Design. Die Antwort aufs Bauhaus:
To end the Bauhaus anniversary year, the Bröhan Museum is organizing the exhibition Nordic Design. The answer to the Bauhaus: the view of the reaction of the Nordic countries to German functionalism. The Scandinavian way of modernity is presented, which took place in a strong discussion of the ideas of the Bauhaus. Starting with the Finnish architect and designer Alvar Aalto about the father of Swedish functionalism Sven Markelius and the internationally acclaimed Danish designers Hans J. Wegner and Arne Jacobsen, the focus of the exhibition is on the 50s and 60s. In addition to country-specific developments, Finland, Sweden, Denmark and Norway will also discuss cross-cutting issues - childhood, democratic design and hygiene.

Location: Bröhan Museum, Schloßstraße 1a, 14059 Berlin.
Date: 24.10.2019 - 01.03.2020.
Opening hours: Monday closed; Tuesday - Sunday 10:00 - 18:00.

Click here >> to the website of Bröhan-Museum, Berlin for more information.