BRUSSELS.- Art Nouveau, Art Deco, Modernism..since the early developments of design, Belgium has a long tradition, sometimes little known, of innovation and pioneering. For the first time at ADAM, the most emblematic Belgian creations and their creators are displayed and explained to the public. From 23 June 2017, come and discover this exhibition dedicated to design in Belgium from the end of the 19th century to the present day.

Panorama. A history of Modern Design in Belgium brings an overview of a hundred years of modern design in Belgium. Starting with the world-famous Art nouveau style at the turn of the nineteenth century, it covers the social aspirations of the interwar avant-garde movement, the pedagogical experiments at the La Cambre school, the postwar design craze, the promotion of modernist Belgian design by the Brussels Design Centre and the impact of the environmental crisis in the 1970s. On show some rare pieces or objects that have never been on show: a carpet of Henri van de Velde for the king Léopold III, a piece of furniture by Jules Wabbes for the Triennial of Milan 1960, the logo of the metro by the designer Jean Edmond and graphic pieces of the Design Centre etc.

The exhibition covers 5 subjects:

1/ SEARCHING FOR A NATIONAL DESIGN CULTURE
After its formation in 1830, Belgium developed into one of the most industrialized and richest countries on the European continent. To legitimize the young nation there was the will to develop a national design culture and so the search started into historic styles that once flourished on the Belgian territory. Forms inspired by the Flemish Renaissance, Gothic, and styles from the Ancien Régime became popular to give shape to the new Belgian cultural identity.

2/ BETWEEN TRADITION AND MODERNITY
In the interbellum the Belgian state increasingly called on modern design to represent itself abroad. Not that there was a single defined style. In the 1920s it fluctuated between the commercially successful art deco designs and avant-garde experiments with modernist traits. In the 1930s the moderate modernism of Henry van de Velde found solid foundations in Belgium and spread in official circles.

3/ DESIGN AS AN ECONOMIC PANACEA
In the fifties, the discipline of design gained official ground in Belgium. The Minister of Economic Affairs, Jean Rey (1902-1983), introduced a powerful design policy in 1954. He organized the first Belgian industrial design demonstrations in Liege and at the Xth Triennial of Milan. He supported the creation of two new government sponsored design institutions: the ‘Instituut voor Industriële Vormgeving’ (Institute for Industrial Design) and the‘ Het Gouden Kenteken’ (Golden Badge) prize.

4/ THE GOLDEN AGE
Belgium was an important production centre of modern design in Western Europe after the Second World War. A large number of foreign multinationals founded a European branch.

The most famous names from that time are undoubtedly Tupperware (Aalst), Samsonite (Oudenaarde) and Philips(Brussels).

Belgian companies also counted on design such as Meurop, they were the first to produce large-scale plastic furniture in Belgium and were known for the affordability of their modern furniture. An Ikea avant la lettre.

5/ BELGIAN DESIGN IN THE LIMELIGHT
In 1964, the Brussels Design Centre was opened in the Galerie Ravenstein with the support of the Belgian Foreign Trade Service. The new organization derived from the ambitions of all the existing design organizations founded in 1956: The Institute for Industrial Design and the design competition Het Gouden Kenteken (The Golden Badge).

Following the example of renowned Italian, Scandinavian and German design, the Design Centre was to put Belgian design on a pedestal through a carefully orchestrated promotional campaign.

Through objects, graphic material, pictures and original film fragments, the exhibition Panorama. A history of Modern Design in Belgium showcases the multiple faces of modern design in Belgium: infused with social ambitions to improve everyday life, as an economic tool to boost the national economy and as a marker of the Belgian nation on large exhibitions worldwide..

The economical, technical and artistic aspects inherent to these disciplines are innovatively explored. The thread of the exhibition and its scenography is to feature how the social, economic and political circumstances but also concerns, aspirations and questions of our history have shaped art and design in Belgium.

There cannot be a how without a why: it is this link which is highlighted by the ADAM.