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book (design) story #631

peter meyer, johannes sigg:
das neue heim, zweite ausstellung

kunstgewerbemuseum zürich (wegleitung 80), 1928
size: 22 x 17 cm
designer: ernst keller (cover)

this is the sequel to story 532. the cover paper of this 1928 exhibition catalogue is extremely thin and fragile (and battered accordingly).

the catalogue cover was again designed by ernst keller (1891-1968) – based on the 1926 catalogue (and poster).

the kunstgewerbemuseum's "the new home" exhibitions were an early effort to promote modernist architecture and furniture design to a broad swiss audience.

the 1928 exhibition it included the newly built "rotach" houses at the wasserwerkstrasse, one of zürich's earliest modernist buildings.

furniture was to be constructed using "honest" materials like ...

... tubular steel ...

... and plywood.

ernst keller's cover design is an apt visualisation of the modernists' ideal "building/designing without false decoration", as explained in the introduction by architecture critic peter meyer (1894–1984, see also story 307). when the kunstgewerbemuseum moved from the mock-medieval landesmuseum "castle" to a modernist building in 1933, keller used very similar, square capitals for its name on the façade.