Experimentation and Dutch design have long gone hand in hand, from postage stamps to the Rietveld chair to the clean simplicity of Schiphol airport. Mienke Simon Thomas skillfully details the groundbreaking accomplishments and popular products of Dutch design in Dutch Design Culture.            Thomas, a museum curator, delves deeply into the rich design history of the Netherlands, beginning with the historical roots of Dutch crafts education and the moral and social ideals of modernism that became central to the nation’s cultural dialogue. Touching upon such issues as the emergence of the professional industrial designer, public work initiatives, debates about design as art, and the provocative notion of “anti-design,” Thomas argues that though Dutch design from the beginning has been driven by aims of functionality, simplicity, and affordability, it has also embraced luxury and exclusivity. The book also discusses the role played by leading Dutch designers and their works, including Wim Crouwel, Marcel Wanders, and the design collective Droog Design.            An unprecedented, detailed history, Dutch Design Culture is a critical primer on one of the leading national design movements today. 

Dutch Design: A History

Arts & Photography

Thomas, Mienke Simon

History & Criticism

Reaktion Books

Villa Sonneveld in Rotterdam is one of the supreme achievements of Nieuwe Bouwen (New Building), the Dutch branch of the International School of Modernism. The house was built in 1933 by the renowned architectural office of Brinkman and Van der Vlugt for Albertus Sonneveld, one of the three directors at the Van Nelle corporation, who chose to modernize not only the structure of his new home but also its contents--the furnishings, fabrics and household gadgets (in the shower, for example, water sprays from at least ten shower heads, and an electric bell was incorporated into the dining table for summoning the servant during meals). Consequently Villa Sonneveld is an unusually complete example of a house furnished entirely in accordance with the most modern standards of the 1930s, using mass-produced products. This volume celebrates Brinkman and Van der Vlugt’s Modernist gem.

Brinkman And Van Der Vlugt: The Sonneveld House: An Avant-garde Home from 1933

Adriaansz, Elly

Laan, Barbara

Molenaar, Joris

Architecture

nai010 publishers

Silver has been a cherished heirloom and gift for centuries. Historians claim that by 3100 B.C. ambassadors to the Egyptian king from Crete brought silver vases as gifts. Today, sterling silver is a favorite medium for creative and innovative designers because it is soft and malleable and can be shaped into any form. The mystical white metal has marked historical milestones throughout the ages, served as a medium of exchange and become an essential metal in today's world of high-tech consumer goods. Silver's main asset is the diversity of its uses. Its unique properties include beauty, strength, sensitivity to light, malleability and ductility, electrical and thermal conductivity, reflectivity and the ability to endure extreme temperature changes. These properties allow scientists and engineers around the world to undertake groundbreaking research that changes the way we live. This generously illustrated volume presents almost 200 beautiful and rare pieces of utilitarian silver from the art nouveau and art deco period, selected from a private silver collection. Both experts in silverware from this period and fans of art nouveau and art deco will be surprised by the number of splendid pieces from this collection. It brings together objects by various renowned silversmiths, including Christopher Dresser, Charles Robert Ashbee, Omar Ramsden and Alwin Carr, and Edward Spencer, Henry Wilson and Paul Cooper. American silversmiths include the Kalo Shop, the International Silver Company of Meriden, The Gorham Manufacturing Company and Howard Crisp. The color photographs of the objects are accompanied by extensive captions, monograms and hallmarks, providing substantial new information. In addition, A Personal Touch includes essays by silver specialists: Eric Turner, of the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, examines reforms in the work of English silversmiths and describes the pieces in this collection that illustrate these developments. Lynn Springer Roberts, former curator at The Art Institute of Chicago, writes about American silverware from the early 20th century, and Reinhard S nger, of the Badisches Landesmuseum in Karlsruhe, focuses on continental silver, paying special attention to beautifully decorated cutlery.

A Personal Touch: Late 19th and 20th Century Silver From The Seawolf Collection

Crafts, Hobbies & Home

Turner, Eric

Roberts, Lynn Springer

Duncker, Veena

Sanger, Reinhard

Antiques & Collectibles

NAi Publishers/Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen

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Books by Thomas, Mienke Simon