Design collection
The design department’s collection was set up in 1980 by Prof. Hermann Sturm. It contains around 900 objects.
As a collection for viewing and also for use in teaching, it illustrates the diversity of aesthetic, formal and material everyday objects. Its focus is on household objects and appliances since c. 1910. In addition to products by well-known designers – such as Peter Behrens, Marianne Brandt, Wilhelm Wagenfeld, Dieter Rams, Verner Panton, Ettore Sottsass and Richard Sapper – anonymous design is also presented, and mass-produced items as well as objects of limited edition objects are on display.
The objective of the design collection is to reclaim and represent the interaction of scientific/technological and design developments as part of art-historical reflection. Material that can be comprehended objectively along with a diversity of aesthetically relevant objects allows students to experience design history in a concrete way. The Chair in Design Sciences, which provides scholarly support, aims to continue the steady expansion of the design collection and also seeks to make it remain productive for students in research projects.