ARTISTIC FLAIR
Along with the production their own captivating pieces, BARCELONA DESIGN has been successfully resurrecting the incredible furniture and home décor creations of internationally acclaimed artists from the past
A BEAUTIFUL PIECE of furniture is no less a work of art that a painting or a sculpture, and perhaps this is why so many well-known artists of the 20th century have dabbled in designing chairs, sofas, lamps, and other household items. For Barcelona Design (BD) – a Spain-based company started in 1972 by a group of young architects – the production and marketing of furniture and other objects by internationally acclaimed art world legends, alongside the designs of their own in-house artisans, has earned them a solid reputation with modern connoisseurs of luxury home décor.
Bringing to life the decorative flights of fancy dreamt up by acclaimed artists such as Antoni Gaudí, Salvador Dalí, Ettore Sottsass, and Alessandro Mendini – all pioneers of design in Spain – may have seemed radical back in the early 70s, but as BD approaches its 50th anniversary they aim to continue forging ahead with the same nonconformist spirit, working with the most avant-garde interior design and architecture studios around the world. It’s a business strategy that has, over time, created for them an enviable market niche.
Amongst the aforementioned artists, Salvador Dalí is perhaps the most famous worldwide, so it’s no surprise that more than one of his creations has a place in the BD catalogue. In the Paris of the 1930s, Dalí surrounded himself with a circle of artistic friends who straddled many disciplines, and one of those was the acclaimed furniture designer and decorator Jean-michel Frank. Together the pair developed a number of ideas, some of which Dalí adopted for his home in Port Ligat.
As a designer, Dalí’s creations included everything from benches and garden furniture, to taps, handles, knobs, and a few oddball objects of indeterminate use. In the 1990s, a team of experts led by Oscar Tusquets began to resurrect the furniture that Dalí had long ago sketched for Jeanmichel Frank, including the Leda chair and low table taken from the 1935 painting Femme à la Tête Rose. Sculptor Joaquim Camps ultimately brought them to life, and Barcelona Design took charge of their worldwide exclusive production and marketing.
Another iconic creation from this superstar surrealist is the sofa referred to (for obvious reasons) as the Dalilips. Designed in 1972, in conjunction with Oscar Tusquets, it was originally created for the Mae West Hall at the Dalí Theatre Museum in Figueras (a mammoth art space built by the artist himself to showcase many of his most iconic works). Since 2004, this cheeky chesterfield has been produced in roto-moulded polyethylene, making it suitable for outdoor use.
In 2009 – the 20th anniversary of the death of Salvador Dalí – BD paid special homage to the artist by producing a special black label, limited edition of his fantastic furniture collection, including the iconic Bracelli Lamp that comes complete with a support crutch; a nod to one of the painter’s most enduring
visual motifs. This collection consisted of just 105 pieces, which would have been Dalí’s age that year.
While Salvador Dalí was first and foremost a painter, the legendary Spanish architect Antoni Gaudí was always involved with the decorative elements in the properties he was building, and that included the furniture. The team at Barcelona Design holds Gaudí in high esteem, and they were the first company to rescue his designs from obscurity. A perfect example would be the Calvet Mirror, which is faithfully reproduced from the Gaudí original using traditional art and craft techniques, as well as the same materials (including a frame made of solid varnished oak or covered in fine gold leaf). It’s a piece that replicates all the rich detail displayed by the original when it was first created for the Calvet House in Barcelona way back in 1902.
Of course, BD also works with contemporary talents such as Jaime Hayon. This Madrid-born designer’s instantly recognizable Dino Armchair exhibits sculptural forms and displays a lovely profile, similar to that of long-necked dinosaurs like the Brontosaurus (hence the name “dino”). This armchair is slender from whichever angle you look at it, with light aluminium legs and – in the more special versions – leather that covers and protects the armrests.
Another lightheartedly humourous design of Hayon’s is the Happy Yeti ceramic vase, where the inspiration comes from a childhood memory of the designer. “From when I was little, I always found the Yeti story funny. That snow monster that wants to frighten those that go to the north pole,” he says. “Converted into a vase, you can put plants in the head so that it looks like it has hair, making it even a bit scarier.”
As a company, Barcelona Design places extreme importance on the authorship of every design, and their catalogue’s contemporary creations have always gone hand-in-hand in with those of the revered classical masters; consisting, in part, of reeditions of designs by Charles Rennie Mackintosh, Adolf Loos, Josef Hoffmann, and Giuseppe Terragni and many others. For the homeowner, it’s an excellent chance to add a uniquely artistic touch – and a bit of history – to any room. (Available at Seasons, Ekkamai 20)
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