The exhibition concentrates on the years 1914 -1939. Europe and, to a lesser extent, America are the focus but the reach of Modernism is demonstrated by selected exhibits or projects from different parts of the world. The show focuses on architecture and design. The range of objects – including architectural, interior, furniture, product, graphic and fashion design as well as painting, sculpture, film, photography, prints, collage reflects the period's emphasis on the unity of the arts and the key role of the fine arts in shaping contemporary visual culture.
Tatra T-87 saloon car
Hans Ledwinka (1878-1967)
Manufactured by Tatra Werke, Koprivnica
Czechoslovakia, 1937
Lacquered metal
474 x 167 x 150 cm
© Die Neue Sammlung - State Museum of Applied Arts and Design, Munich/Rainer Viertlboeck
Photo courtesy of Victoria and Albert Museum
Designed in Czechoslovakia, the Tatra T-87 emerged in 1937 as the first true streamlined production motor car. Its distinctive features were a central seat for the driver and a dorsal rear fin similar to those used in contemporary racing cars.
The desire to connect art and life led to a spirit of collaboration between artists and designers, with architects playing a leading role. Aesthetic conventions had been overturned before the war by the advent of Cubism and Expressionism, but now designers took the process further. Focusing on the most basic elements of daily life – housing and furniture, domestic goods and clothes – they reinvented these forms for a new century.
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