New acquisitions 2013–2014

The acquisitions made in 2013 and 2014 bear this out: both in terms of their number – nearly 180 items – and the way in which they enrich the collection. The Museum of Decorative Arts and Design is therefore presenting these items to share them with the public and to pay tribute to the generosity of the donors, whose role is essential to the museum.

Particularly noteworthy is the collection of furniture and objects – significant pieces by Alessandro Mendini, Dan Friedman, Alessandro Guerriero, Ettore Sottsass and Helen von Boch, dating from 1971 to 2001 – donated by Didier and Clémence Krzentowski, who are thereby expressing their support for the design museum project initiated by the new director, Constance Rubini.

At the request of the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Alessi has donated a collection of over 150 pieces to the institution, representing iconic tableware and dining design from the 20th and 21st centuries. This donation comprises objects illustrating the various stages of a meal, from preparation to serving, created by leading international designers. It includes a variety of utensils, plates and cutlery. This significant donation will therefore contribute to the ‘Galerie des arts de la table’ project that the museum aims to establish.

A collector has donated to the museum a wine cup bearing the hallmark of François Broustelet and dated 1654. This object is believed to be the oldest known wine cup bearing the Bordeaux hallmark and the only creation by this master silversmith. This donation also contributes to the ‘Tableware Arts Gallery’ project. A Nevers earthenware dish decorated by Claude Guillaume Bigourat (1735–1794) with a hunting scene, dated 1758. This donation was inspired by the display, in the museum’s permanent collections, of a dish of identical size and shape, decorated by the same artist with a fishing scene: it thus enables the definitive reuniting of one piece with its counterpart. The manufacturer Ercuis has donated a set of FB7 cutlery (2001), designed by François Bauchet, one of the first designers in France to rethink the arts and rituals of the table, in collaboration with leading chefs.

The Friends of the Hôtel de Lalande have once again shown their generosity by donating a collection of items to the museum: a pair of salt cellars in silver and blue blown glass by Jean-François Jouet, dated around 1787; three vases and a bowl made of Tyveck® paper and covered in acrylic paint, featuring sinuous motifs, forming part of a series known as ‘Pleurs’ by Ruth Gurvich (2001–2002); a relief vase by René Buthaud (c. 1950), a vase by Félix Gête, from the ‘Céramique d’Art de Bordeaux’ (C.A.B.) workshop, circa 1950.

The Museum of Decorative Arts and Design would like to thank :

The Friends of the Museum of Decorative Arts and Design