Verner Panton

Exhibition


Starting with Panton Chair, the exhibition presents Panton's passion and history for his experiment and challenge.

First furniture collection
The exhibition shows Panton's first furniture collection – Tivoli Chair (1955) produced for the restaurant in Tivoli Park, Denmark; S-Chair, wooden single-unit cantilevered chair; Chair Cone (1958) which has the unique structure consisted of the conical metal shell and the pivot on a cross shaped metal base; the chair shaped like trumpet, Chair Trumpet, made of steel wire – that impressed his experimental passion and artistic stamp over the world.

Modular Furniture
Pantonova, which is consisted of a chromium-plated steel wire, could be assembled in various ways. This exhibition presents them that were very influential in the 1960's.

Panton Chair
Panton Chair is the icon in the design history in 20th for the first single-unit cantilevered chair made of molded plastic. The exhibition shows the changes of plastics to enable beautiful streamlined chair and the development process of it.

Left row top: Chair Cone, 1958-60, Basel; middle: Chair System1-2-3, 1973, Basel; below: Verner Panton in laboratory, c.1966, Basel

Right row top: Panton Chair, 1983, Basel; middle: Tivoli Chair, 1955; below: Pendant Lamp Flower Pot, 1968

© Panton Design, Basel





Experiential space: Phantasy Landscape and space consisted of design items by Panton

Phantasy Landscape
For this international tour, Vitra Design Museum reconstructed Phantasy Landscape room, which was the legendary interior represented at "Visiona 2" exhibition in Cologne Furniture Fair in 1970. The Bayer chemical company commissioned "Visiona 2" exhibition, the concept of which was the futuristic interior. In "Visiona 2" that was hold at the ship on the river Rhein, 24,000 visitors came in 4 days. In this exhibition, you could experience to be surrounded by 360°Panton's design in the cave-like colourful space around 8m x 6m x 2.4m.

Space by Panton
The extraordinary furniture of Verner Panton suggests the unique usage of space for example Flying Chair (1963) floating in space like the hammock; Living Tower (1968) which is a reclining chair with different sitting positions. In addition, Ring Lamp (1969), which was produced for "Visiona 2," fills the wall and the ceiling with colours, light and geometrical form so that creates the optical space.
*You could see lightings in each section.


From left: Phantasy Landscape, "Visiona 2," exhibition view in Cologne Furniture Fair, 1970; upper left: restaurant "Varna" in Aarhus, 1971; upper right: 3D Carpet, 1969; left below: Swimming pool, Spiegel publishing house, Hamburg, 1969; right below: Verner Panton in Living Tower, 1968, Shell Lamp ceiling, Panton's home, Basel-Binningen, 1984/85

© Panton Design, Basel
10th ANIVERSARY