Having first received attention during the nineteen-nineties for its avant-garde approach, Dutch design reflected the changing values of the times in which large numbers of people have become uncomfortable with the mass-consumer society, and it is now recognized as the world leader in design trends. It presents a new set of values that are the opposite of the twentieth century concept of design which pursued amenity and functionality.

From 8 April to 2 May 2010 the red dot design museum in Essen, Germany, will present the finalists and winners of the Dutch Design Awards 2009 in a special exhibition.

This exhibition is the first critical survey of contemporary Western European decorative and industrial design, organized by IMA Design Curator R. Craig Miller. The exhibition and accompanying catalogue present 250 seminal works including furniture, ceramics, metalwork, glass and product design that reveal the extraordinary creativity of two generations of designers in Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, The Netherlands, Portugal, Scandinavia, Spain and the United Kingdom.

At a time of heightened interest in works of so-called 'design art', made in small editions for the collector's market, Telling Tales will feature work by a generation of internationally regarded designers. The exhibition will focus on work by designers who explore the narrative potential of objects, connecting the past with the present.