Vitra Design Museum | Weil am Rhein

The Vitra Design Museum is an exhibition centre dedicated to industrial design and architecture. It is located in Germany, but at very short distance from the Swiss city of Basel. The museum, opened in 1989, is housed in a building designed by the Canadian-American architect Frank Gehry and is part of the Vitra Campus, a noteworthy ensemble of buildings and architectural structures conceived by some of the most important international architects, including Zaha Hadid, Tadao Ando, Richard Buckminster Fuller, Jean Prouvé, Alvaro Siza, Herzog & de Meuron and Sanaa. Some buildings can be visited through guided tours.

The museum collection, composed of more than 7,000 pieces, is mainly focused on furniture and lighting products dating from the 19th century to present day; but also architecture, cutlery and consumer electronics are featured. Products from the Vitra company itself, including famous designs by Charles and Ray Eames, George Nelson and Verner Panton, just to name a few, are also exposed in the permanent exhibition.
The object belonging to the Vitra’s collection are usually displayed through two main thematic semi-temporary exhibitions per year.

The Vitra Design Museum also organizes workshops for adults and children, guided tours, including visits to Vitra’s premises, and special events.
At the museum a shop, a research library and a café are available to the visitors.

Review by Riccardo Bianchini, Inexhibit
Photos: cover by Patrick Collins; 1 Riccardo Bianchini, Inexhibit. 2 Alexander Mooi 3 Jean-Baptiste Maurice. 4 nutbird