Swiss design in the limelight in Cologne
A museum in the German city of Cologne is celebrating Swiss design with a special exhibition showing such classics as the Swiss army knife, Swatch watches and the Toblerone chocolate bar.
The curator of the “Swiss Made” exhibition, Gabriele Lueg, praised the “high quality and aesthetic beauty of Swiss design” in a presentation ahead of its opening on January 16.
Lueg highlighted the “good craftsmanship, clever details, intelligent use of materials and pleasing simplicity” of Swiss designs.
Cologne’s Design Museum says the exhibition marks the first time successful Swiss designs have been shown in Germany, and claims the exhibits demonstrate that “Swiss made” is still a guarantee of a quality product.
The exhibition includes about 200 products, from the famous multi-function army knife to the station clock designed by Hans Hilfiger.
Other displays are the distinctive brown bottle for Maggi’s soup and sauce flavouring, designed for the company by Julius Maggi, and the plastic watches by Swatch that revolutionised watch-making in the 1980s.
There is also Swiss designed furniture, high-tech products, textiles and jewellery.
The Zurich publishers, Hochparterre, are responsible for the catalogue of the “Swiss Made” exhibition, which runs at Cologne’s Design Museum until April 16.
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