ANTOINE PEVSNER, GEORGES VANTONGERLOO,
MAX BILL
Max Bill, [Designer], Wilhelm Wartmann [introduction]
Max Bill, [Designer], Wilhelm Wartmann [introduction]: ANTOINE PEVSNER, GEORGES VANTONGERLOO, MAX BILL. Zurich: Kunsthaus Zurich, 1949. Text in German and French [varies]. Slim quarto. Perfect bound thick wrappers. (xliv) pp. 6 black and white plates. Two paper stocks: uncoated green for text, matte for plates. Introduction. Artist statements. Artists bibliographies. Catalog listings of 151 works in exhibition. Light toning overall, otherwise a fine, fresh copy.
5.75 x 8.25 perfect-bound catalog with 6 black and white plates of work by Antoine Pevsner, Georges Vantongerloo and Max Bill. Printed by Buchdruckerei Neue Zurcher Zeitung, Zurich. Exhibition catalog for show from 15. Oktober Bis 13. November 1949. Introduction by Wilhelm Wartmann. Text in German. Artist's statement by Antoine Pevsner. Text in French. Artist's statement by Georges Vantongerloo. Text in French. Artist's statement by Max Bill. Text in German.
Max Bill designed the catalog: the cover and title page with their asymmetric arrangement pivoting around an axis defined by the space between the three artists' first and second names is typical for his style. Text pages are printed on a dark, rough paper while a white coated paper is used for the black and white reproductions.
The difference between the design problems which have to be solved every day and works of painting and sculpture is merely one of degree, not one of principle. — Max Bill
Max Bill [1908-1994] achieved mastery in many areas: avant-garde architecture, the fine arts, product design, typography, journalism, research and teaching and even politics. He was a true 'uomo universale' who represented the concept of 'concrete art' by creating works 'by means of its intrinsic nature and rules', and a lifelong proponent of Die Gute Form (good design).
In 1949 he conceived the 'gute form' exhibition, which travelled to Switzerland, Germany and Austria. The exhibition was regarded as an important signal in a Europe which had been destroyed by war and in the reconstruction phase was also looking for new directions in design. An economical use of resources, functionality and long useful life were believed to be what was required -- product features which were aimed at durability and contradicted the consumer society and the concept of disposability.
In 1950 Bill, the designer Otl Aicher and Inge Aicher-Scholl decided to found a college of design in Ulm. They regarded the reconstruction period in Germany as an opportunity to revive the ground-breaking philosophy of the interdisciplinary teachings of the Bauhaus in terms of both style and content, but now taking into account new production technology. Bill was appointed architect and rector of the new college. In contrast to the prevalent opinion at other colleges of design he taught that industrial design is closely linked to social and political responsibility and must not be influenced by considerations of profit.
Bill rejected the label 'designer,' regarding himself as a product designer, entirely in the service of the public. Thus, apparently insignificant objects of everyday life were just as important as furniture design. His output ranged from jewellery designs, the Patria typewriter (1944), a shaving brush (1945), a mirror and hairbrush set (1946), a wash stand for the students' rooms in Ulm (1955), the aluminium handle for a piece of kitchen furniture (1956), crockery for Hutschenreuther (1956) right down to the legendary Junghans kitchen clock (1956/57).