
Alice Rawsthorn profiles the 'design-art' phenomenon in the International Herald Tribune:
"'Design-art' is a commercial phenomenon, not a cultural one. It's a label adopted by auction houses in the hope of flogging limited-edition furniture for higher prices than it would muster if relegated to the unfashionable category of 'decorative arts.' And it has been very effective, commercially at least. A new season of design sales starts Monday with the opening of the Design Miami/ Basel fair in Switzerland, followed by auctions in New York next week. Despite the purists' sneers, collectors' interest in 'design-art' is still increasing, and as the market matures, a less ditzy side to it is emerging."
MILAN DESIGN WEEK 2009
PICTOPIA FESTIVAL 2009
HOME AND HOUSEWARES SHOW 2009
TRANSVERSALE 2009
NEW YORK CITY TOY FAIR 2009
IMM COLOGNE INTERNATIONAL FURNISHING SHOW
NORTH AMERICAN INT'L AUTO SHOW '09
TOKYO DESIGN WEEK 2008
LONDON DESIGN FESTIVAL 2008
NeoCon 2009
MD&M East and ATX 2009
Nidecker Snowboard Design Competition
Tools of Engagement
Comments
It's time to start questioning the design-art phenomenon more critically. By means of the sheer volume of reproductions in journals and books, its legitimation and promotion by major museums, and its celebrity magnetism, design-art has the potential to drown out all other conceptions of what contemporary design is or could be.