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Simon Bartle
Visual Arts Correspondent
10:04 AM 8th April 2019
lifestyle

Midcentury Modern At The Hepworth, Wakefield

 
Last year's fair. Photo by Kevin Dutton
Last year's fair. Photo by Kevin Dutton
In June, the Hepworth Wakefield will once again partner with Modern Shows®, to provide an opportunity to see and buy British, Scandinavian, European and American collectible Mid-century modern furniture, ceramics, glass, jewellery, artworks and posters.

This event will present, close up, works designed from the 1950's onwards. At a time when economies were experiencing a post war resurgence, the disciplines of interior design, architecture, art, jewellery, ceramics and graphic design all underwent a period of fundamental change. Simplicity, function, and assimilation with nature were all key drivers of what became described as the Mid-century modern movement.

Hans Brattrud dining chairs
Hans Brattrud dining chairs
The Midcentury Modern® At The Hepworth event, was staged last year for the first time in the Hepworth's converted mill space, and it was a huge success. It attracted over 6,000 Mid-Century modern enthusiasts to the two day event.

You certainly do not have to be a die-hard enthusiast, to appreciate all that this design movement had to offer. It is more than delightful shapes, curves to die for, and sculptural functionality. It was very distinctive, radical, and above all modern. It embraced many different styles, each unique in its own way.

The event will provide the many dealers with an opportunity to showcase a whole range of original pieces by Eames, Jacobsen, Sarpaneva, Wegner and others.

Charles and Ray Eames were a Los Angeles husband and wife award winning design team. They are perhaps best remembered for their groundbreaking, functional, low cost furniture designs.

Danish designer, Arne Jacobsen became an icon of the Mid-century modern design movement. He never compromised aesthetic beauty, that is because it was at the heart of everything he did. He applied his genius across multiple disciplines. He devoted his life to design. The weekend presents a wonderful opportunity to marvel at the examples of his work, and the far reaching talent of this pioneer.

Timo Sarpaneva, born in Finland was at the forefront of the Mid-century modern glass design. He worked in other mediums too. However, he is best known for his work in glass where colour, form, and light diffusion marked out his pieces, and his work won many major design awards. Whether designed for utility, or for decoration, the works were the epitome of style, and chic sells. So much so, that Mid-century modern, was embraced, and produced widely by a myriad of glass manufacturers. At the time it captured the attention of its audience, and it still does today. The weekend will give you a chance to own your own small piece of design history.

Hans J Wegner, had a long and illustrious career as a designer in Denmark. He was first and foremost a master of chair design, and he won multiple awards for his ground breaking work. If you aren't familiar with his name, then you will almost certainly immediately recognise his many chair designs on show. Perhaps you will be tempted to buy one of his innovative masterpieces.

This event is about vintage interiors, and is a weekend not to be missed, so put the dates in your diary now. Judging by the runaway success of last year's event, it might be advisable to get there early.

Midcentury Modern® at The Hepworth Wakefield Sat 29 & Sun 30 June 2019, 10am – 4pm.
Tickets are available to purchase in advance for £3/ £2 Members.
Tickets on the day will be £5. Under 16s can attend for free. www.hepworthwakefield.org/mid-century-modern-fair/