Reform of Life

In the organizer's words:

When Henry van de Velde was born in 1863, the style mix of historicism prevailed in Europe. Artists and industry had hardly any points of contact. When van de Velde died almost a century later, the collaboration between art and industry was called "product design". In between, there were several generations of artists and designers who wanted to reform the form and function of everyday objects - and Henry van de Velde was among them. He was inspired by the Arts and Crafts movement, became an important representative of Art Nouveau, laid the foundations for the Werkbund and the Bauhaus, headed the La Cambre School of Art in Brussels and recognized the importance of the Ulm School of Design.

In Chemnitz, Henry van de Velde created two villas, a tennis club and several interiors. Villa Esche is now home to the Henry van de Velde Museum of the Chemnitz Art Collections. With over 130 works, it holds an important part of van de Velde's oeuvre. At the same time, the Textile and Decorative Arts Collection has been collecting contemporary European decorative arts and textiles since its foundation in 1898. Based on Henry van de Velde's role as an artist, architect, teacher and author, the exhibition presents the network of visionaries, producers and dealers between 1880 and 1950, including William Morris, Richard Riemerschmid, Marianne Brandt, Otti Berger and Max Bill.