Hervé Van der Straeten's 'Dissonances' exhibition opens at Galerie Van Der Straeten, Paris

Hervé Van der Straeten's beautifully realised design objects - instantly identifiable by their decorative arts bent - puts him on our go-to list for contemporary design-art. The Paris-based designer, who won a 2012 Wallpaper* Design Award for his cubist ‘Twist’ candlesticks, is now presenting his ninth showcase of furniture and objects at his gallery in the Marais.
A play on the musical term, ‘Dissonances’ is a series of pieces comprising a clash of oblique and diagonal angles, materials and forms.
To this end, a console with a bronze base of overlapping components displays a witty volumetric tension. Contrasting materials are placed with one another - resulting in the mingling of textured bronze patina and anodised aluminium, or schist and garnet. And by disharmoniously placing natural materials with electric and metallic tones, the result is a striking cacophony of colour combinations - cue the startling tortoiseshell rock tabletop held up by a bright red glossy stainless steel configuration.
Van der Straeten, who designs his collections in his own bronze and cabinet-making workshops, developed 'Dissonance' to show an interplay of tension and attraction. In this miscellany of furniture, objects, lighting and mirrors, Van der Straeten has somehow given each piece its own logic, resulting in a polyphonic spree of unique works.
'Lantern, 2012' Courtesy of Galerie Van der Straeten
'Passage Console', 2012. Courtesy of Galerie Van der Straeten
'Aurore Lighting', 2012. Courtesy of Galerie Van der Straeten
'Aurore Lighting', 2012.Courtesy of Galerie Van der Straeten
’Chaos Console’, 2012. Courtesy of Galerie Van der Straeten
Cabinet Ikebana’, 2012.Courtesy of Galerie Van der Straeten
'Buffet Bondage’, 2012.Courtesy of Galerie Van der Straeten
’Hypertension Table’, 2012. Courtesy of Galerie Van der Straeten
’Facette XL Chandelier’, 2012. Courtesy of Galerie Van der Straeten
’Inclination’, 2012.Courtesy of Galerie Van der Straeten
Van der Straeten won a Wallpaper* Design Award for these cubist 'Twist Candlesticks', 2011. Courtesy of Galerie Van der Straeten
ADDRESS
Galerie Van Der Straeten
11, rue Ferdinand Duval
75004 Paris
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox
-
Knoll classics become unique works of art in the hands of Noel Mercado
Chicago artist Noel Mercado transforms three Knoll classics into one-off works of art using discarded car parts
By Rosa Bertoli Published
-
Budding romance: Dior pays homage to the rose
Dior Joaillerie’s ‘Bois de Rose’ collection pays homage to the classic flower
By Hannah Silver Published
-
Alaïa teams up with Rare Books Paris to curate a stylish library
Alaïa partners with Rare Books Paris to celebrate some of fashion and art’s most collectable tomes, curated by Peter Mulier and displayed in Alaïa’s Paris and London boutiques
By Tianna Williams Published
-
Tia-Thuy Nguyen encases Chateau La Coste oak tree in tonne of stainless steel strips
Tia-Thuy Nguyen’s ‘Flower of Life’ lives in the grounds of sculpture park and organic winery Château La Coste in France
By Harriet Quick Published
-
Paris Photo 2023: Eva Nielsen puts our impact on the Camargue in dynamic focus
At Paris Photo 2023, ‘Insolare’ by Eva Nielsen, in collaboration with BMW Art Makers, is a compelling exploration of human impact on the landscape
By Sophie Gladstone Published
-
The rich, creative life of Moomins creator Tove Jansson
Finnish artist and Moomins creator Tove Jansson was free, independent and nonconformist, as a new Paris exhibition delving into her life and work reveals
By Hannah Silver Published
-
Mark Rothko retrospective to open at Fondation Louis Vuitton in October 2023
The major Mark Rothko exhibition will bring 115 works to Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris
By Hannah Silver Published
-
Jean-Michel Basquiat and Andy Warhol’s fruitful partnership explored in Paris
Fondation Louis Vuitton presents ‘Basquiat x Warhol. Painting 4 Hands’, exploring the collaboration between the two artists
By Hannah Silver Last updated
-
Paris art exhibitions: a guide to exhibitions this weekend
As Emily in Paris fever puts the city of love at the centre of the cultural map, stay-up-to-date with our guide to the best Paris art exhibitions
By Harriet Lloyd-Smith Published
-
Cyprien Gaillard on chaos, reorder and excavating a Paris in flux
We interviewed French artist Cyprien Gaillard ahead of his major two-part show, ‘Humpty \ Dumpty’ at Palais de Tokyo and Lafayette Anticipations (until 8 January 2023). Through abandoned clocks, love locks and asbestos, he dissects the human obsession with structural restoration
By Harriet Lloyd-Smith Published
-
Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s final work, L‘Arc de Triomphe, Wrapped, is preserved in a new limited-edition book
A new book ‘Christo and Jeanne-Claude, L’Arc de Triomphe, Wrapped, Paris’, chronicles how the artists’ final work, 60 years in the making, came to fruition
By Harriet Lloyd-Smith Published