Avantgarde in Their Day/Ihrer Zeit: Classic Designs by Schliephacke and Ssymmank/Die Design-Klassiker Schliephacke und Ssymmank

In the late 1950s, the mass-manufactured lamps "Schliephacke" and "Ssymmank" became understated icons of the Berlin intellectual scene. Today they are renowned as classics of their day, and illustrative of its conflicts. With a crown made of six "leaves" of brightly colored nylon, the ultra-modern "Ssymmank," based on a design by Hans Scharoun and developed for serial production by his assistant Gunter Ssymmank, was a sensation. It has been on display at The Museum of Modern Art in New York since the early 80s. On the other hand, the minimalist, multi-functional "Schliephacke," designed by the architect Fridtjof Schliephacke, clearly adopts the stylistic traditions of the Bauhaus. These two pieces, with their contrary starting points, exemplify the debate on Functionalism that raged in Germany during the postwar reconstruction. Schliephacke & Ssymmank: Avantgarde in their Day presents the development of these two emblematic collectors' items in the context of that debate, and "illuminates" the story with plentiful illustrations.