„ADVENTURES WITH OBJECTS. The von Vegesack Collection is a tribute to an extraordinary and eclectic figure, a man who has devoted his whole life to research into objects of industrial design. Outstanding examples of 20th century design, ranging from Thonet bentwood furniture to pieces by the best-known of today's designers, are set alongside heterogeneous and curious objects: drinking glasses, dishes, books, catalogues, textiles, kimonos, saddles. (...) The exhibition has been conceived as a sort of three-dimensional biography recounted through the objects, displayed in twenty-two sections (...).“ (Marella Agnelli & Ginevra Elkann)

It might sound pompous to start this report with a quotation from the exhibition's catalogue, yet when reading the texts by some of Alexander's closest friends and colleagues (and himself), I felt that they expressed the matters at the heart of the exhibition so profoundly that it would have felt strange to me not to cite them here.

The exhibition – curated by Mathias Schwartz-Clauss and designed by Dieter Thiel – has a very personal feel to it. It communicates a feeling of intimacy, yet without ever turning voyeuristic. The rooms inside the beautiful Renzo Piano pavillion on the rooftop of the old Lingotto factory in Turin are filled with an eclectic mixture of objects from von Vegesack's collection. The ultimate charm of this collection is its diversity. No item seems to be perceived lowly – even the most common of objects receive a meaning within the context they are placed in, feeding the imagination of the onlooker.

As Alexander says himself: „(...) In my activity as a collector it is not so much the intrinsic value of the objects that I look at, as their significance in relation to a whole web of interests that are closely connected with the creative process. If these interests are not taken into account, it is not possible to understand the collection, and this exhibition would make no sense.“

In a certain way – and that is one of the deepest impressions I took with me when seeing the exhibition – Alexander's collection is the ultimate argument for personal taste above the status implications of the luxurious or the merely expensive. In his world, it is not important if some object is common – if it pleases him, it becomes a part of his collection, and thus adds another facet to the picture of his life story that he paints in his collecting.

„Von Vegesack has a rare ability to see the extraordinary in the ordinary. His viewpoint is that of a collector, rather than an academic. He came to the subject of design with personal tastes and experiences, rather than any received wisdom about what is important and what is not.“ (Deyan Sudjic)

Taken together, the objects von Vegesack collects tell a multitude of stories about his life. The anecdotes about their acquisition often weave into conversations with him, and underline their value to him within his everyday life. That is another thing worth mentioning: of course a great portion of the collection is in storage, yet at the same time a great number of pieces are part of his everyday life and surroundings. Small still lives of curious objects are scattered wherever he lives. Many of these objects on their own may look odd, maybe even out of place, yet the context they are arranged in adds another level to their perception, and renders them beautiful.

„What interests him is the now rare blend of the art of engineering and improvisation, that is to say an approach to the materials that is practical and attentive but at the same time visionary, in sharp contrast with the immaterial coldness of design in the digital age.“ (Mateo Kries)

Yet it cannot be said that Alexander lives in the past; his extreme curiosity for people and their culture and spirit always keeps him up to recent developments. When watching the highly creative, playful spirit in which the design workshops at the Domaine de Boisbuchet are carried out, it is difficult to say who is shaping whom. Is it Alexander's attitude that reflects itself onto the workshop leaders, or is it the workshops' spirit that continues Alexander? It's a chicken and egg question really. His interest in „green“ issues and sustainability make him permanantly look into new technological developments that can support the Domaine's spirit, and which may – in the years to come – result in the establishing of a pilot parc project for sustainable energy at Boisbuchet. There seems to be no limit to the way in which he recognises and grasps opportunities, and I would have to say that I cannot imagine anything that he would not collect.

„Von Vegesack looks at techniques, cultures and people from the perspective of their multiple relationships, and because of this – at a time when design is increasingly being turned into a branch of fashion – he as the Vitra Design Museum's founding director has, almost by chance, come up with a new idea of what a museum of applied arts ought to be. He has set up Wunderkammern, cabinets of curiosities that reflect these relations and suggest new creations.“ (Mathias Schwartz-Clauss)

All quotations are from the exhibition's catalogue published by ELECTA, ISBN 978-88-370-6086-2, www.electaweb.com

A special Thank You goes to Deidi von Schaewen for allowing us to use her photographs of the exhibition!