Pieter De Bruyne 1931-1987. Pioneer of the Postmodern
The exhibition was part of the research project Pieter De Bruyne (1931-1987) Meubelen en Interieurs (Pieter De Bruyne (1931-1987) Furniture and Interiors). This research project was realized within the Department of Design Sciences, at Hogeschool Antwerpen.
Research context.
The exhibition was an important, tangible counterpart to the research publication Pieter De Bruyne 1931-1987. Pionier van het postmoderne.
The aim was to visualize the design production of De Bruyne and to communicate his oeuvre to a wide audience.
At the same time the exhibition wanted to illuminate an important period in Belgian design history in which the transition from a modernist approach towards other approaches took place. This period is specifically visible in the work of De Bruyne which represents an evolution from mass-produced ‘social furniture’, till crafted modernist furniture, ending up with post-modern objects. Until this research this period had only gained minor attention. In that sense the exhibition offered a contribution to the Belgian design history.
Impact.
The launch of the exhibition was disseminated through various channels:
- Design Museum Gent, “Pieter De Bruyne (1931-1987) Pionier van het postmoderne,” www.designmuseumgent.be/agenda/pieter-de-bruyne-1931-1987);
- Vlaams Architectuur Instituut, “Pieter De Bruyne (1931-1987) Pionier van het postmoderne,” https://www.vai.be/nl/activiteit/tentoonstelling-pieter-de-bruyne-pionier-van-het-postmoderne;
- “Een kast is meer dan een meubel,” Video directed by Cobra/Canvas, 06/07/2012; Veronique Van Geit,
- “Pieter De Bruyne pionier van het postmoderne,” Het Nieuwsblad, 16/06/2012; Ludo Bekkers,
- “Pieter De Bruyne, pionier van het postmodernisme,” Knack Focus, 23/07/2012; Tentoonstelling Pieter De Bruyne, Video directed by ContentCreators, 23/12/2012
The work had, possibly because of the exhibition, caught the attention of DOCOMOMO_be (The Belgian Committee for the Documentation and Conservation of Buildings, Sites and Neighborhoods). The committee engaged co-curator Eva Storgaard to give a lecture about the work of Pieter De Bruyne in the lecture series ‘Inside Modernism”. Her lecture "Pieter De Bruyne (1931-1987) and the Struggle Between Industry and Craft" was held in the Design Museum Ghent, 8 December 2015; http://docomomo.be/inside-belgian-modernism-4th-lecture-by-eva-storgaard/