The iconic industrial designer Konstantin Grcic’s exhibition titled The New Collection (Die Neue Sammlung), on display in the new pavilion of the International Design Museum of Munich, shows the creative process behind his most acclaimed work Chair_One and the spectacular Audi TT Arena advertising module.

The museum’s latest pavilion was inaugurated with a series of annual exhibitions slated to run 10 months each. Internationally renowned designers have been asked to contribute and showcase their creations while providing their personal interpretation of industrial design. The resulting collaborations are scheduled to take center stage in the main hall of the museum.

The first professional convened for this series of exhibitions is Munich-born designer Konstantin Grcic. The local artist delivered brilliantly with a stimulating display that depicts the vigorous research conducted for each of his projects. Using his iconic piece “Chair_One”, an exquisite metal chair designed for the Italian manufacturer Magis, considered one of the most interesting and ingenious chairs ever created, he provides a comprehensive visual journal of his creative process.

The exhibition displays the painstaking process dedicated to the creation of the chair, which took five years of researching shapes, structures and materials. Museum patrons will see original drawings and initial sketches, as well as the many trial structures and various tests materials used in the designer’s initial attempts. The end product is a chair modeled from die-cast aluminum made into triangular planes that constitute the aesthetic structural support of the piece.

Chair One

The complex process of designing and developing this piece began in 1999 and ended in 2004. Afterwards, the Italian company Magis launched the final variations of the finished model. It’s fascinating to see how many of the initial models collapsed due to the innovative design of the Chair_One. It’s also intriguing to be able to appreciate the application of innovative technologies, such as 3D printing, used in the process.

Chair One detail

Also on display is Grcic’s spectacular advertising module for the Audi TT Arena, originally made for Design Miami. Visitors will see the fascinating intallation created for the German automaker with the use of actual parts from the third-generation luxury vehicle.

The designer was inspired by the prefabricated housing modules proposed by French architect Jean Prouvé, which use modular wood panels in combination with industrial parts designed for cars. The result is a polygonal room that combines the design of the Audi TT and the engineering applied in its manufacturing. This structure is located in a breathtaking setting, made with large scale images created by the renowned artist René Birker.

Munich’s Pinakothek der Moderne

View of the exhibition

Grcic’s exhibition at the International Design Museum of Munich will be available until mid-September 2016. It is the perfect opportunity to see the inspiring work of a true visionary in modern industrial design. ■