Category Archives: Craft & Design

William Morris, an Arts & Crafts Inspiration

This Christmas, LOEWE presents a collection inspired by the work of legendary British textile designer, artist, and writer William Morris (1834 – 1896). LOEWE obtained special access to the Morris & Co archives from which Creative Director Jonathan Anderson selected original prints featured on a wide range of menswear and womenswear pieces

Strawberry Thief, Forest, Acanthus and Honeysuckle, four striking prints conceived between 1874 and 1883 for wallpaper or fabrics, were selected by Anderson and placed by LOEWE’s creative team on jackets, T-shirts and suits as well as on some of the firm’s most popular accessories: the Puzzle and Hammock bags. Other pieces featuring the prints are scarves, brooches and backpacks.

Morris is considered one of the main contributors of the Arts & Crafts movement, which emerged in response to the concern of a group of architects, designers and artists over the precariousness of traditional British craftsmanship when faced with the unstoppable industrialisation of society. His defence of handmade pieces over those that were mechanically produced, was due to aesthetic as well as ideological reasons.

‘William Morris fundamentally changed the way we look at applied craft, making him one of the most important designers of the last 200 years,’ Anderson explains. This capsule collection reinterprets classic 19th century prints inspired by nature in combination with surprising and irreverent elements used in punk aesthetics. This can be seen in the recurring bright orange details and in the bleached denim pieces whose abstract pattern references the classic vocabulary Morris used, but in an innovative and contemporary way.

Photo Captions: Acanthus, William Morris. Capsule Collection Autumn Winter 2017, photographed at Standen House, West Sussex, England. Strawberry Thief, William Morris.

 

Art Basel Miami: Chance Encounters III

The LOEWE FOUNDATION presents the third exhibition in its Chance Encounters series, bringing together artists from various disciplines in order to explore unexpected conversations. This year, Sara Flynn, Richard Smith and Lionel Wendt present their works at the LOEWE Miami District store, which was designed around a monumental 18th century granary. “Art and craft are at the centre of my creative process and these exhibitions are an exciting way of exploring artists that are important to me”, says Jonathan Anderson, LOEWE’s Creative Director.

For this edition, Irish ceramist Sara Flynn has been commissioned to produce a new body of ceramic work inspired by the space and materiality of the granary, which was brought over from Portugal and rebuilt stone by stone. Despite using a wheel to throw her pots, her subsequent interventions result in complex and irregular shapes that challenge our reading of the vessels, bringing them into closer dialogue with the language of sculpture. Flynn was one of the 26 finalists of the first LOEWE Craft Prize.

Richard Smith was one of the most original artists of his generation. He emerged in the late 1950s and became known for works that challenged the accepted traditions of painting. His 1975 work Shuttle will be exhibited soaring above the LOEWE store granary. Specially commissioned for the Tate that same year, the installation is comprised of a series of coloured canvases stretched across aluminium rods reminiscent of tent structures. Smith’s work ‘Both Halves (A)’ was acquired by LOEWE in 2016 and is currently displayed in the firm’s Madrid flagship store.

The renowned photographer Lionel Wendt, who was originally trained as a concert pianist, took up photography later in life after studying in the UK. He created a ground-breaking body of work documenting life in his home country of Ceylon as well as homoerotic portraits that were considered radical at the time. After his premature death in 1944, most of his negatives were destroyed. However, his prints were rediscovered in the 1990s and he is now considered one of the key proponents of modernist photography. His work was presented as part of the setting for the LOEWE Fall 2017 collection at the Unesco building in Paris.

Chance Encounters III. From 4th December 2017 to 4th February 2018.
 LOEWE Miami Design District, 110NE 39th Street, Suite #102. Miami, Florida (USA).

Photo Captions: Chance Encounters III © Naho Kubota

Tokyo’s 21_21 Design Sight welcomes the LOEWE Craft Prize

The LOEWE FOUNDATION continues to demonstrate its international commitment to artistic craftsmanship with the traveling exhibition of the 26 LOEWE Craft Prize finalist works, whose next stop is Tokyo´s 21_21 Design Sight. The building designed by architect Tadao Ando will house the exhibit until 30th November.

Among the more than 3,900 participants, the Experts Panel selected these works that include ceramics, textiles, paper, jewellery, furniture and glass. A collection that shows an innovative reinterpretation of traditional techniques through the personal and unique work of each artist.

LOEWE Craft Prize. Until 30th November in 21_21 Design Sight, Tokyo (Japan). Midtown Garden, Tokyo Midtown, 9-7-6 Akasaka, Minato-ku (Monday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Photos: Loewe Foundation Craft Prize, 21_21 Design Sight Tokyo (Japan).

Winners LOEWE Craft Prize 2017

On April 10th, the winner of the first edition of the LOEWE Craft Prize was announced at COAM (Colegio Oficial de Arquitectos de Madrid). The piece ‘Tree of Life 2’ by Ernst Gamperl, born in Germany in 1965, was selected as the winning entry among 26 finalists evaluated by a distinguished jury composed of leading figures from the worlds of design, architecture, journalism and museum curatorship.

Ernst Gamperl, Tree of Life 2 (2016), Germany

Ernst Gamperl, Tree of Life 2 (2016), Germany

The Jury also agreed upon giving two special mentions.

One special mention to Yoshiaki Kojiro: ‘The jury recognised the exercise of research, embracing risk and innovation by mixing materials to achieve a shape that is ultimately a structure of experimentation.’

Yoshiaki Kojiro, Structural Blue (2015), Japan

Yoshiaki Kojiro, Structural Blue (2015), Japan

Another special mention to Artesanías Panikua. The statement from the jury explains: ‘The second special mention is for a piece capable of arousing feelings before one even begins to rationalise it. Apart from its emotional impact, the piece speaks of a collective cultural legacy, demonstrating that craftsmanship with artistic ambition should have no material limits; straw can be just as important as gold.’

Artesanias Panikua, TATA CURIATA (2016), Mexico

Artesanias Panikua, TATA CURIATA (2016), Mexico

All 26 finalists of the LOEWE Craft Prize are being featured in an exhibition held at the COAM in Madrid. Exhibition open from April 11 to May 9, 12:00 to 20:00. More information on loewecraftprize.com. Follow us on instagram @loewefoundation

CASA LOEWE

CASA LOEWE, located in the heart of the Salamanca district in Madrid, is the largest and first flagship in Spain that follows the new store concept introduced by Jonathan Anderson and presents a selection of works from the LOEWE FOUNDATION Art Collection.

HodgkinLOEWE

“I was involved in all aspects down to small details, technical things and every material used”, says Anderson. “It’s a very important project to me, because It is about reconnecting with where LOEWE is from.” A serene backdrop of warm neutral materials, serve to offset original British antiques, an important selection of artworks, and LOEWE’s vast product offering.

SmithCASALOEWEAmong the art chosen by Anderson and acquired especially for the space are Works by Edmund de Waal, Richard Smith, Gloria García Lorca and perhaps most prominently, a wall-spanning handpainted aquatint print by Sir Howard Hodgkin on the theme of past present future.

“Everything we’ve been working on for the last couple of years comes together here. It’s not a culmination, because we are continually opening chapters, it’s where we are now and what the future will be”.

CASA LOEWE is located at the intersection of Goya and Serrano streets.

DeWaalLOEWE

Photographs: “As Time Goes By (Orange)”, unique sugar-lift aquatint with carborundum relief on five hand torn sheets of 35gsm Moulin du Gré paper, by Sir Howard Hodgkin (2009-2014). Courtesy of Howard Hodgkin and Alan Cristea Gallery and photographed by Peter White, London. “Both Halves (A)”, acrylic and oil on canvas (2parts) by Richard Smith (1977). Courtesy of Gazelli Art House and photographed by Peter Mallet. “Sonatas and Interludes”, porcelain vessels with gilding, plaster blocks in aluminium and plexiglass vitrines, by Edmund del Waal (2015).

LOEWE: Past Present Future

“LOEWE: Past Present Future” runs through 9 December 2016 at the Villanueva Pavillion, a former greenhouse at Madrid’s Real Jardín Botánico. Built in 1781, it is the most emblematic structure in the royal gardens located next to the famous Prado Museum.

floresagosto

An innovative display system of large acrylic glass boxes shows one-of-a-kind pieces from LOEWE’s archives, exemplyfing the brand’s unión of advanced leather craft and pure functional design, while walls and floors are covered with images evoking the rich history and current momentum of the house, all taken from the new LOEWE book edited by Luis Venegas.

A second section is devoted to 13 color photographs of flower arrangements by Steven Meisel, indicative of the photographer’s special ongoing relationship with LOEWE. Inspired by the life and work of British pioneer Constance Spry –whose unconventional approach, quick mind and irrepressible spirit innovated international floral design in the 1930-50’s- the simultaneous simplicity and exuberance of these images represents the fresh dynamism of LOEWE today.

pastpresentfuture

To celebrate LOEWE’s reinforced presence in the city where it was born 170 years ago, this exhibition opens to the public, encouraging the people of Madrid to rediscover their brand and explore LOEWE’s ever evolving, multi-dimensional character. Among other unique gifts and souvenirs, the new 592-page LOEWE book –spanning the entire history of the house- and a special 2017 calendar with Steven Meisel’s “Flowers” series will be for sale at the exhibit shop.

“LOEWE: Past Present Future” runs through 9 December 2016 at the Real Jardín Botánico, 10h-17,30h.

Photographs: Flowers (August) by Steven Meisel and Past Present Future (2016).