GLOBAL FOCUS.
Angela Weber Möbel (Zurich) will show a selection of Italian, American, and Nordic design from the first half of the 20th century: from American icons including Frank Lloyd Wright, Samuel Marx and Vladimir Kagan to the pinnacle of Italian design expertise from the likes of Gio Ponti. Galerie Eric Philippe (Paris) will continue this conversation between international designers through a dialogue with American and Swedish Modernism. Highlights will include a small steel sofa by Paul László; a large bronze gong by Harry Bertoia; a walnut shelf by Philip Lloyd Pwell; a brass suspension lamp by Swedish architect Carl Axel Acking; and lamps by Finnish designer Paavo Tynell.

For its Design Miami debut, Mameluca (Lisbon) will present an exhibition within the Curio program. Titled Bridge: Dialogue, the exhibition will embark on a profound exploration of the intricate tapestry of global civilizations, weaving together parallels between social evolution and geological forces. Highlights include The Castle, an installation which was conceived to honor the rich cultural legacy of the ancient peoples who once inhabited the land now known as Portugal, paying homage to their enduring influence and invaluable contributions.

Pierre Marie Giraud (Brussels) will explore a cross-cultural dialogue through a carefully curated selection of designers from the United States, Japan, and Europe. This exhibition will represent the pinnacle of design, and highlight the talent and diverse artistic expressions from around the world. Pierre Marie Giraud will offer a vibrant meeting point, where the rich cultural heritage of each designer converges and intertwines.

Meanwhile, taking a country specific approach to its curation, Thomas Fritsch-ARTRIUM (Paris) will present an array of French ceramics dating between 1945 and 1970. Highlight designers include Pablo Picasso, Jacques Pouchain, Georges Jouve, and Jean Derval, amongst others. Thomsen Gallery (New York) will also focus on Japanese craft - specifically, Japanese bamboo baskets made by great masters of Japanese bamboo art, including Iizuka Rōkansai, Tanabe Chikuunsai, and Maeda Chikubōsai. Masterpieces from the first half of the 20th century, regarded as the Golden Age of Japanese basketry, through contemporary works by the current bamboo masters will be shown. The baskets will be complemented by Japanese ceramics from the 15th-21st centuries, Japanese gold lacquer boxes from the 20th century, and an exceptional pair of Japanese folding screens.

DESIGN AT LARGE.
Design Miami brings its Design at Large program to Basel - installing a selection of three large-scale works of design that infuse the fair’s programming with moments of ambitious sculpture and conceptual and industrial innovation. Galerie SCENE OUVERTE (Paris) presents Rino Claessens’ Modular bench (2023): formed of 28 glazed ceramic modules, offering 14 seats in a curving, abstract formation. The connected pieces - brushed and sponged in a richly textured, deep blue - can be dismantled and rebuilt. Claessens’ experimental ceramic work is inspired by a trip to Arita, Japan, known as the ‘cradle of porcelain firing’. The modular system underlying the bench allows for its scale, offering the freedom to create furniture for which the ceramic kiln is no longer a size limit. The resulting work is as transformative as it is solid. Moving away from the physical and into the digital, multidisciplinary creative Marie Piselli (Paris) presents her debut digital work, OUI CLOCK | AURORA (2024) - a powerful visual spectacle offering an alternative approach to time, measured not in quantitative hours, minutes or seconds, but rather via a qualitative measure that sees units of time based around moments shared, and moments alone, designed as a reminder of the importance of shared experiences and emotions. Looking to the past century, a collaborative Design at Large presentation comes from Ketabi Bourdet x LAFFANOUR (Paris), offering an historic moment within the program. Together, they will offer a presentation of Robert Wilson’s Hamletmachine table and chairs, designed for the premiere of the eponymous play staged at NYU Theater in New York in 1986. Wilson is a celebrated director and visual artist, whose stage furniture plays an integral role in the total effect of his plays. The Hamletmachine table and chairs are impactful in their dramatic minimalism.