Kunstwerkstede De Coene 1888-1977
Masters of art nouveau, art deco and design
Commissioned by the Museums and Cultural Heritage Unit of the city of Kortrijk [2006-2007]
Curator; exhibition scenography, direction and production of a series of filmed first-hand accounts
As part of a larger municipal project, the exhibition brought to life the history of the Kunstwerkstede De Coene.
Inspired by the ideas of the Arts & Crafts movement and the Wiener Werkstätte, the De Coene brothers started a Kunstwerkstede of their own in Kortrijk and developed it into a many-sided international firm. It offered the visitor a chance to rediscover ninety years of furniture, interior construction, architecture, and enterprise.
Broelmuseum Kortrijk 2006
Exhibition
The exhibition was conceived and built as an exploration of the unique spirit of the Kunstwerkstede De Coene, a route leading past products, documents, photos, and first-hand accounts that bring to life the creativity, innovative force, and solid craftsmanship of the Kunstwerkstede. All of the museum’s exhibition rooms were used.
Instead of a traditional entrance into the small rooms of the classic villa, the route through the museum was reversed, so that visitors entered through the former stables, where they received an introduction before proceeding to the museum spaces filled with original furniture, documents, paintings, and the like. Both the exhibited material and the spaces of the museum were highly diverse, and in order to lend continuity to the exhibition, it was necessary for Willy Nel – a former De Coene employee – to design a neutral modular system of platforms and display cases in black particleboard. Contains photography by Ilse Liekens and Gerald Van Rafelghem
Films
The filmed first-hand accounts of twelve former employees supported the exhibition circuit. These eyewitnesses take us in search of old projects in Belgium, the Netherlands, and France. These ‘encounters’ bring back all manner of memories, and the former employees relate their stories about the products, the adventures, and the Kunstwerkstede’s way of working.
At the right, fragments from five eye-witness accounts:
1. Craftsmanship at De Coene, Roland Deleu
2. Working with architects, Jerome Dervichian on the decoration of the interior of Unesco Paris, 1958, with architects Breuer, Narvi, and Zehrfuss
3. Royal Library Albert I, Brussels, Philippe Neerman
4. Expo 58, Achilles Daelman, Gilbert Bartier
5. Decoplan, Willy Nel
See also the article ‘Vanuit de Kortrijkse buik, mensen vertellen hun verleden,’ Openbaar Kunstbezit Vlaanderen (OKV), August – September 2006 (PDF, 508kb)
Colophon
General coordination
Curators
Advisory committee
Design
Audiovisual production
Fotografie
Construction and technical services
Production
Administration, logistics, supervision
Press and communication
Educational material
| The exhibition ‘Kunstwerkstede De Coene 1888-1977, mastery in Art nouveau, art deco and design’ was part of the municipal project KunstWerkStede De Coene - Kortrijk Designed. The project was an initiative and production of the city of Kortrijk, the non-profit organization Stedelijke Musea Kortrijk, the non-profit foundation Stichting de Coene, and the cultural heritage units of the city of Kortrijk and Antwerp, with the financial support of the Flemish government and numerous sponsors. The exhibition also took place within the context of the inter-municipal collaboration encouraged by the cultural heritage agreements of Kortrijk and Antwerp. The Kunstwerkstede team would like to thank all those who worked to make this exhibition a reality: -The many private donors, advisors, and lenders, as well as all those who contributed to the production of the exhibition in other ways.
The directors and employees of the culture, events, communication and law, facilities and environment, tourism, and fire departments of the city of Kortrijk, the employees of the cultural heritage unit and museums of the city of Antwerp. |