New exhibition: 1980s.

February 13, 2023

New exhibition: 1980s

The 1980s, a new era in international and nordic furniture design. The museum highlights the breakthrough of postmodernism and its impact on furniture design, both internationally and within the Nordic region.

The 1980s saw a paradigm shift in the world of design. The breakthrough for postmodernism and especially the Italian design group Memphis Milano had a fundamental influence on attitudes towards an object’s basic shape and spawned an international wave of creativity.

Through the exhibition “1980s” (5 Feb – 1 Sep) the Museum of Furniture Studies wants to highlight the breakthrough of postmodernism and its impact on furniture design, both internationally and within the Nordic region. What permanent changes in our values in relation to quality and in our perception of the balance between surface and content did the design debate of the 1980s lead to?

What impression did the Memphis group leave on Swedish furniture culture, and why and how did their choice of materials and design expression inspire today’s young designers? Read more here.

Designer of the month
Karl-Erik Ekselius

Karl-Erik Ekselius got his breakthrough as a furniture designer at the H55 Exhibition in Helsingborg in 1955 with pieces made by his family company J.O. Carlsson Möbelindustri (later JOC). Ekselius also designed the interiors for the Columbia University in New York.

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