Bas van Beek's 'Shameless' at Wolfsonian–FIU: Heritage Design Meets Contemporary Critique
Bas van Beek, a designer from Nijmegen born in 1974, is showcasing his inaugural solo exhibition in the United States, titled 'Shameless,' at The Wolfsonian–FIU in Miami. This exhibition, which runs until July 24, 2022, is commissioned by the museum and utilizes its historical collections from 1890 to 1940, focusing on Dutch design. Van Beek reinterprets historical artifacts sourced from institutions such as Het Nieuwe Instituut and Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam. In 2021, he unveiled modular cups at Kunstmuseum Den Haag, inspired by a design from the 1920s created by Karel De Bazel. His fascination with heritage design originated at the National Glassmuseum in Leerdam. He critiques social design, arguing against museums endorsing brands, particularly highlighting IKEA's reliance on Bauhaus principles.
Key facts
- Bas van Beek's first US solo exhibition 'Shameless' at The Wolfsonian–FIU, Miami, until July 24, 2022
- Exhibition commissioned by The Wolfsonian–FIU, drawing from its historical collections (1890–1940 Dutch design)
- Van Beek's practice: manipulating and updating historical objects from Dutch institutions
- In 2021, introduced modular cups at Kunstmuseum Den Haag based on Karel De Bazel's 1920s design
- Heritage design interest began at National Glassmuseum Leerdam; studied pressed glass and Frank Lloyd Wright's unproduced designs
- Explored connections between Bauhaus, Wiener Werkstätte, and designers like Sottsass and Panton
- For Boijmans Van Beuningen Museum closure, co-created 'Collectie op Zuid' selling products in Rotterdam shops
- Van Beek: IKEA would not exist without the Bauhaus
Entities
Artists
- Bas van Beek
- Frank Lloyd Wright
- Karel De Bazel
- Joe Colombo
- Ambrogio Pozzi
- Marco Zanini
- H.P. Berlage
- Dagobert Peche
- Ettore Sottsass
- Nathalie du Pasquier
- Verner Panton
- Matti Suuronen
- Salvador Dalí
- Jan van der Vaart
- Henry Geldzahler
- Mitchell Wolfson Jr.
- Silvia Barisione
- Annemartine van Kesteren
Institutions
- The Wolfsonian–FIU
- Wolfsoniana
- Boijmans Van Beuningen Museum
- Het Nieuwe Instituut
- Van Abbemuseum
- Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam
- Kunstmuseum Den Haag
- National Glassmuseum Leerdam
- Bauhaus Archive Berlin
- Wiener Werkstätte Archive
- MAK Vienna
- MVRDV
- Cor Unum
- Alitalia
- IKEA
- MET New York
- MoMA
Locations
- Miami
- Florida
- United States
- Rotterdam
- Netherlands
- Nijmegen
- Genoa
- Italy
- Leerdam
- Den Bosch
- Amsterdam
- Eindhoven
- The Hague
- Berlin
- Germany
- Vienna
- Austria
- Rotterdam-Zuid