Edited by Javier Gimeno-Martìnez & Katarina Serulus
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On the occasion of the exhibition Panorama: A History of Modern Design in Belgium that opened in June 2017 at the ADAM [Brussels Design Museum] in Brussels, this book explores the relation between modern
design and the Belgian State. The ideology of modern design was closely linked to the utopian attempt of improving the everyday material world. Modernists had the universal belief that everyday spaces and objects
affected their users in such a way that design practice could be a kind of political and social reform, or even a moral education.
Modern design was however not only invested with these social aspirations, but knew also success in political circles as an exponent for ideological positions, as a tool for political propaganda or as a marker of
national identities. Also the Belgian state mobilized the universal idea of modern design to construct a positive national image for cultural, economic and diplomatic purposes. The famous Expo 58 with its iconic
Atomium in Brussels are great examples of this engagement of the state with design to convey a sense of modernity. This book looks beyond the typical Belgian icons and shows how design was framed in economic and political debates in Belgium from the mid 19th century until the 1980s.
Authors
Werner Adriaenssens, Javier Gimeno-Martinez, Fredie Floré, Daniela N. Prina, Katarina Serulus
Editors
Javier Gimeno-Martinez
Assistant Professor at the V. U. Amsterdam where he runs the MA in Design Cultures. He is a researcher and a member of the International Committee for Design History and Design Studies (ICDHS). His research has been published in The Burlington Magazine, Design Issues and Urban Studies. He is also author of the book Design and National Identity (Bloomsbury Academic, 2006).
Katarina Serulus
Design historian at the KU Leuven. She contributed to the book Van Academie tot Universiteit. 350 jaar architectuur in Antwerpen(2013). She is also the curator of the exhibitions 25 Editions of Biennale Interieur (2016, Kortrijk) and Panorama, a history of modern design in Belgium (2017, Adam, Brussels). She also wrote exhibition and book reviews for Design Issues and De Witte Raaf.
Authors
Werner Adriaenssens
Doctor of Archaeology and of History of Art, he teaches applied arts at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel. He is curator of the Decorative Arts section of the Royal Museums of the Cinquantenaire. His research focuses on the art nouveau and the Art deco.
Fredie Floré
Engineer‐architect and Associate Professor in history of (interior) architecture at KU Leuven. Together with Cammie McAtee she published the volume The Politics of Furniture. Identity, Diplomacy and Persuasion in Post-War Interiors (Routledge, 2017). Fredie Floré is a board member of the ICDHS.
Daniela N. Prina
Associate Professor at the Faculty of Architecture in the Ulg. Her studies are at the crossroads of the disciplines of architecture, design, and the history of art. The results of her work are published in reference works (C. Edwards, Encyclopaedia of Design, Bloomsbury Academic, 2015; K. Fallan, G. Lees-Maffei, Made in Italy : Rethinking a Century of Italian Design, Bloomsbury 2013; P. Lombaerde, E. De Vos, 350 jaar Architectuur in Antwerpen: van Academie tot Universiteit, University Press Antwerp 2013) and in international scientific journals (Journal of Design History, Journal of the History of Collections and Sculpture Journal).
