From 1st September until 11th November 2023, BECK & EGGELING will be presenting the exhibition 'Spot on ! 20th century lamp design and modern art‘ in cooperation with Sebastian Jacobi (collector & curator, Bad Ems, Germany). The opening will take place on the occasion of the 'DC Open 2023' (Düsseldorf/Cologne Open Galleries).

The exhibition "Spot on" revolves around natural and electric light, which, as a creative medium, interconnects artworks and lighting designs from the 20th century in a crossover composition.

Selected works by Hermann Bartels, Hal Busse, Kwan Young Chun, Yayoi Kusama, Gotthard Graubner, Wassily Kandinsky, Paul Klee, Frantisek Kupka, Heinz Mack and Otto Piene engage in an intriguing dialogue with special luminaires from the extensive collection of Sebastian Jacobi (Bad Ems), who has meticulously gathered the largest private collection of lighting design in Europe over the years.

Light and art are intertwined; artists work with light in various ways to enhance the visual impact of colour and texture, creating an additional dimension. Especially the ZERO movement and its environment have deeply explored light as an artistic medium: using mirrors, metals, and other reflective materials, they aimed to capture and direct light in innovative ways, simultaneously fascinated by the potential of utilizing light and shadow as elements of design.

Beyond the thematic correspondences, the exhibition unveils aesthetic connections through the act of juxtaposing artworks and luminaires, exploring new dimensions through light play, design, and construction.

The collector Sebastian Jacobi curated the lamp selection; please see his text below:
"Hardly anything else has had a greater influence on people's lives than the invention of artificial light. With the possibility of colon...

The exhibition "Spot on" revolves around natural and electric light, which, as a creative medium, interconnects artworks and lighting designs from the 20th century in a crossover composition.

Selected works by Hermann Bartels, Hal Busse, Kwan Young Chun, Yayoi Kusama, Gotthard Graubner, Wassily Kandinsky, Paul Klee, Frantisek Kupka, Heinz Mack and Otto Piene engage in an intriguing dialogue with special luminaires from the extensive collection of Sebastian Jacobi (Bad Ems), who has meticulously gathered the largest private collection of lighting design in Europe over the years.

Light and art are intertwined; artists work with light in various ways to enhance the visual impact of colour and texture, creating an additional dimension. Especially the ZERO movement and its environment have deeply explored light as an artistic medium: using mirrors, metals, and other reflective materials, they aimed to capture and direct light in innovative ways, simultaneously fascinated by the potential of utilizing light and shadow as elements of design.

Beyond the thematic correspondences, the exhibition unveils aesthetic connections through the act of juxtaposing artworks and luminaires, exploring new dimensions through light play, design, and construction.

The collector Sebastian Jacobi curated the lamp selection; please see his text below:
"Hardly anything else has had a greater influence on people's lives than the invention of artificial light. With the possibility of colonizing the night, we defy the natural course of nature; we dissolve the laws of physics and decide exclusively for ourselves the moment of 'light or dark‘. What began with oil and tallow lamps, candle and gas light, has changed radically and rapidly with the invention of electricity and light bulbs. And every new technology brings forth new design possibilities and solutions, the cultural diversity of which knows no bounds to this day.

The exhibition 'Spot on !' takes a journey into the past and present of electric light over the past 120 years with selected examples showing the technological innovations as well as the congenial, creative quality. The direct comparison with different exhibits shows the immense creative potential; at the same time, each lamp becomes a time capsule that, viewed retrospectively, is representative of an entire era or style.

From the beginning to the present, it is often architects who shape the design of lamps and so it is hardly surprising that the name of a famous master builder is behind most of the exhibits on display: Achille Castiglioni, Carlo Scarpa, Vico Magistretti, Mario Botta, Ettore Sottsass or Adolf Loos (...).
In addition, there will also be lamps on show that make use of a new invention for the first time. For example, the earliest 12-volt halogen table lamp Mod. 607 from 1971 by Gino Sarfatti or its counterpart as a floor lamp Mod. 'Aloha' by Claudio Salocchi from the same year.

At the beginning, technological or creative-artistic innovations often have a hard time establishing themselves on the market and so it often happens that supposedly brilliant ideas are not produced at all or only in very small numbers and are forgotten until they are rediscovered. Such examples will also be on show in Düsseldorf.

The design lamps enter into correspondence with modern works from the gallery's collection. New perspectives and the spirit of the respective time, become clear in the juxtapositions and show an exciting crossover, which the gallery has been presenting again and again over the years."


Special opening hours for the DC Open:

Fri, 1.9, 6 pm – 2 pm
Sat, 2.9, 1 – 7 pm
Sun, 3.9, 1 – 5 pm

Event:

A fashion show featuring the new collection of 'meinweiß' by Andrea Jacobi will take place in the gallery space at Bilker Str. 4-6 on on 1st September at 7 pm.

www.meinweiss.de