The Vitra Schaudepot: Architecture, Ideas, Objects Book

The Vitra Design Museum Collection is one of the most important design collections in the world.

In total, it comprises around 20,000 pieces, including 7,000 pieces of furniture, more than 1,000 lighting objects and the archives and estates of designers such as Charles and Ray Eames, Verner Panton and Alexander Girard.

In summer 2016, the museum opened a building designed by Herzog & de Meuron architects to present this collection on a permanent basis: Vitra Schaudepot. The centerpiece of the Schaudepot is a permanent exhibition of more than 400 important objects of modern furniture design from 1800 to the present day. This presentation is complemented by smaller temporary exhibitions on themes related to the collection, a materials library and a comprehensive digital catalog. Schaudepot constitutes the largest permanent exhibition on modern furniture design, as well as a “transparent design museum” that makes all aspects of the museum’s work visible.

This publication sheds light on different aspects of Schaudepot. The iconic building is illustrated with large-scale photographs and drawings. The interior presentation of the collection is likewise shown using insightful images, enriched by a chronological overview of the objects on display. The short essays place the objects in the context of design history and bring to light the curatorial decision-making behind the objects presented. The book is an engaging field guide on the history of furniture design and serves as a portal to understand the unique collection of the Vitra Design Museum; it is also a publication of one of the newest buildings by star architects Herzog & de Meuron.

• Soft Cover
• 17 x 23.5 cm, 0.3 kg
• 108 pages, about 480 images