Design of the
people

Modern nationalism is obsessed with authenticity, that which is real and true. Every nation, it is said, has its own character. Foreign influences are inauthentic and therefore suspect. The people must rediscover their own, original culture.

The origins of this romantic idea lie in the 19th century. At this time, the industrial revolution was changing the world at a disturbing pace. Intellectuals sought solace in history, tradition, and the countryside. Design also became caught up in this trend. Various local styles and crafts were taken out of context. They were recast as expressions of the ‘national soul’. In this way, artists and designers created a new, national culture – even when they considered it a rediscovery.

Simultaneously, industry and design came to play a role in the competition between states. Universal exhibitions showcased sources of national prestige: proofs of modernisation, ‘civilisation’ and colonial conquests. Nationalist ideas also gained influence in Africa and Asia, where a modern national culture came to be seen as an antidote to European oppression.

True folk art

The 19th-century obsession with traditional folk art first found its way into music and literature. Still, designers and visual artists also sought inspiration in folk traditions. They established art colonies, particularly in Central and North-Eastern Europe. There they sought the basis for a national art style. The guiding principle was primitivism: the more original, the more authentic it was. This sometimes led to strange scenes. In Sweden, for example, special pottery schools were established where farmers were taught their ‘own’ tradition.

Worlds’ Fair

1851 saw the famous Great Exhibition organised in London. At this first Worlds’ Fair, countries from all over the world showcased their craftsmanship and industry. The event attracted no fewer than six million visitors. In following years, international exhibitions became important ‘showcases for the nation state’. European states also flaunted the territories they had colonised. Colonial exhibitions touted artefacts, animals and even people as exotic curiosities. Remarkably, such exhibitions also reinforced national consciousness in those colonised territories.

National design icon

Industrial design as we know it today emerged in the 20th century. Modern designs are also frequently seen as an expression of national culture. Dieter Rams’ designs, for example, count as ‘typically German’: solid and functional. Often, such labels are applied retrospectively. Around 1918, Gerrit Rietveld designed his famous ‘Rietveld chair’ for a new, industrial world. Only after the Second World War did the chair suddenly come to be seen as ‘typically Dutch’. This fitted in with the Netherlands’ new self-image: progressive and egalitarian, away from the horrors of fascism.