We want to be modern

Spännade besök i nationalmuseets lager ute på landsbygden. Tredje och sista dagen av vårt studiebesök. Vi ska få se föremål som ingick i den nyligen avslutade utställningen We want to be modern, om polsk design 1955-1968, mest möbler, keramik, textil och grafisk design. Där också Miska Miller-Lovegrove varit involverad. Det skulle vara fint att kunna visa i Sverige inte bara den samtida designen, utan delar av den historiska, ändå från 1918 då Polen blev självständigt och konstnärer, formgivare och intellektuella följde Europas övriga Arts and Crafts' movement, och utvecklade en egen akademi parallellt med Bauhaus - Wad elle egentligen LAD med polskt genombrutet L, ett mångbottnat ord som betyder harmoni och ordning och vacker i ett och samma ord. Rörelsen manifesterades i möbler, textil, keramik och målet var objekt som skulle fungera för vardagsbruk, med förnämligt hantverk - vackrare vardagsvara helt enkelt. Naturligtvis uppstod ett stort brott under kriget, nazismen, utbombning, och sedan kommunismens övertagande. Men under 50-60-talen finns en utveckling av just glas, keramik, möbler och textil med anmärkningsvärt många starka svenska kvinnor som vore intressant att lära mer om här i Sverige. Lärde oss också att den första svenska designutställningen visades i Polen 1936 på Institution for promotion of the arts, som fick stark påverkan på den polska designutvecklingen. Kan den ha skapats inom Svenska Slöjdföreningen, måste ta reda på, eller var det Nationalmuseum? Och sedan visades 1939 WAD-kooperativet en utställning i Stockholm 1939 på Liljevalchs tydligen.

We had the most exciting excursion out the country side to visit the storage of the National Museum. Mostly to see the objects of textile, furniture and ceramics that were included in the exhibition We Want To Be Modern, which was recently on show out of the extensive collection under the name the Centre of Modern Design of the National Museum in Warsaw, which was created in 1979. Curator Anna Frackiewicz gave us the best tou, so full of knowledge, intelligence and sensitivity. It was a real history lesson for Cathrine and me, and it would be very interesting if we could show some part of this to the Swedish public, in connection with showing the contemporary movements. At least the graphic design part, which is so strong and still such a vital element within Polish design. This was our last day, and now we hope to come back soon again, perhaps to the Lodz Design Festival in October. Also we hope that we can welcome Polish design and designers to Stockholm for the Design Week in February 2012. 

Our guide Karolina trying to get instructions for the road

The storage of the National Museum

Museum Curator Anna Franckiewicz from the National Museum took care of us and gave us a much needed history lesson of Polish 20th century design development. Amazingly many strong women designers!

Józefa Wnukowa, textile 1958

Danuta Paprowicz-Michno, Zoo textile 1956

Many strong female furniture designers Maria Chomentowska chair Plucka (lungs) in the middle 1956

The most popular chair of all- to be found all over still today

Female designer, before her time, tried to make a moderna school desk, where the students could easily turn around, it never came into large practice. Probably the teachers did not like the idea of freely moving students.

organic shapes by Lubomir Tomaszewski 1961-62

glass with great influence from Scandinavia from the beginning of the 60's. Names like Zbigniew Horbowy, Wszewlod Sarnecki and Wieslaw Sawczuk

Anna's favourite two tea pots, in one single movement, by Danuta Duszniak 1956

Earlier ceramic and glaze vases

Anna's dream to make a special exhibition with all the small ceramic figures, a Polish specialty, which she has not found somewhere else, animals, sparrows, men, women... early 60's

Popular chair for children - the small dear

Steel tube chair from as early as 1928

Karolina Bregula shows us some of her own art work at our farewell luncheon before we take the taxi to the airport.