When you walk into Demisch Danant’s new exhibition ‘The Way of the Essential,’ you immediately feel the power of simplicity to enhance everyday life, and the ability to achieve the epitome of chic and elegance through simplicity. The exhibition comes to present the various manifestations of French minimalist design developed from the late 1950s to late 1960s in the French domestic space, showcasing the significance of glass and Formica in this period’s vocabulary. The rejection to ornament and historicism was not exclusive to France, yet, it is the French designers of this period, more than in any other country, who succeeded to translate these principles in to a comprehensive lifestyle, which still looks as fresh and attractive as when it was first devised. Three participants in this movement are represented in the show: Jacques Dumond, the pioneer; Joseph-André Motte, who best substantiated these principles in public spaces he created throughout France; and the duo Antoine Philippon and Jacqueline Lecoq, who created some of the most elegant and chic furniture in the history of French design. In addition to a reconstruction of a 1960s living room designed by Dumond, the show consists of pieces in rattan, lights, and relaxed furniture that capture what came to be known as the Art if Living Movement. The exhibition closes on October 20th.
