Desire, Acquire AN Interior examines the state of the U.S. collectible design market through four diverse perspectives.
Over the past two decades, a new type of design has taken shape. The contemporary collectible design market has combined the vintage market’s tradition of connoisseurship and the art world’s commercial structure with the experimental fervor of the early postmodern and studio craft movements. A select group of galleries, fairs, and museums and a growing collector base have tapped into the potential of collectible design, initially as an extension of fine art but increasingly as a domain that stands on its own. Unlike standard product design, this type of output is characterized by artistic expression and limited production. Mass appeal and salability are not as important. Rather, individual designers are given free rein to conceive new one-off pieces that express their own personalities and outlooks. Often their works push the boundaries of material, form, function, and aesthetics.
32
IN DEPTH
