Lensvelt partnered with Silvera last week to bring an exhibition of Maarten van Severen's furniture to Paris. Pictured (from left): 'MVS CN° II' chair; 'MVS T88W' table; and 'MVS LT92' low table
The Flemish designer Maarten van Severen died of cancer at the age of 48 in 2005, leaving behind a small but perfectly formed oeuvre that is arguably more accomplished than many designers hope to achieve over a lifetime. And so, to Paris, where Dutch furniture manufacturer Lensvelt presented van Severen’s pieces during Maison et Objet last week at an exhibition hosted in Silvera’s showroom.
Here, exhibition curator Brigitte Fitoussi used Belgian filmmaker Blaisse Moon’s film, Addicted to Every Possibility, as a springboard for the recent show. The documentary, first released in 2014 during Salone del Mobile, traces the tumultuous path of the prolific designer through the lives of his four sons (including Hannes van Severen, one half of Power-listed duo Muller Van Severen).
Moon captured a family sustained by the same artistic sensitivity as their father, all the while mirroring his flamboyant personality. ‘[In the film] we re-discover a genius craftsman, passionate artist, and builder-at-heart at different periods of his life, and the rhythm of his experimenting,’ says Fitoussi.
The exhibition, too, marks the deeply personal relationship between the Belgian designer and Lensvelt president, Hans Lensvelt. He was both a friend and patron of van Severen who – notes Fitoussi – often knocked back shots with the designer at the corner of his workshop table, and shared his ‘radical vision [and] uncompromising aesthetic’.
Visitors to the show would have seen products from Lensvelt’s ‘First Series’, including van Severen’s curvaceous, pearl-blasted aluminium‘LC95’ chair and compact ‘S88’ low armchair. It’s a stark reminder of the designer’s incredible talent, and in a way, quite poignantly, of his unrealised potential and what could have been.
Products on show were plucked from Lensvelt's 'First Series' collection of van Severen furniture, originally launched in 2013
'MVS LC95' chaise longue, by Maarten van Severen, for Lensvelt
'MVS S88' armchair, by Maarten van Severen, for Lensvelt
'MVS CHL95' chaise longue, by Maarten van Severen, for Lensvelt
Belgian filmmaker Blaisse Moon’s film, Addicted to Every Possibility (poster pictured), was the inspiration for the recent show. The documentary traces the tumultuous path of the prolific designer through the lives of his four sons
'MVS LC93' low chair, by Maarten van Severen, for Lensvelt
INFORMATION
‘Maarten van Severen: Addicted to Every Possibility’ ran from 21 until 27 January. For more information, visit the Silvera website
ADDRESS
Silvera Kleber
58 avenue Kléber
75116 Paris
-
Art Deco architecture turns 100; take our world tour of its lesser-known marvelsArt Deco architecture can be found across the globe, a 20th-century genre that influenced all building scales and typologies; and its centenary this week inspired our world tour of lesser-known gems
-
In Gstaad, a seasonal restaurant takes alpine dining to new heightsMonti nods to regional craftsmanship with furniture carved from locally-sourced elm and a seasonal menu from chef Martin Göschel
-
Watch dance, music and film collide at a unique event at Abbey Road StudiosIn this exclusive film, watch Abbey Road’s first Artist in Residence, Jordan Rakei, collaborate with industry-leading creatives to produce a dance performance in the hallowed Studio One
-
Maison et Objet: Wallpaper's 15 highlights from France's leading homes and interiors fairThe design year has officially begun with the launch of Maison et Objet. Our on-the-ground correspondent reports on its standout moments
-
Ozone and Dominique Perrault Architecture create a series of monumental aluminium lampsOzone worked with Dominique Perrault and his partner Gaëlle Lauriot-Prévost to present the ‘Furtiv’ collection, featuring a series of aluminium lamps inspired by the architect's Bibliothèque François-Mitterrand in the 1990s
-
Is this the most beautiful office in the world?Parisian creative agency Art Recherche Industrie’s new HQ translates a 19th-century landmark into a chic open-plan office worth leaving home for
-
Mono Editions launches furniture in cork and paper pulpLaunched with a pop-up in Paris (23-27 March 2022), Mono Edition presents modular designs by architects, crafted from sustainable single materials
-
Odile Mir’s granddaughter is reissuing her 1970s French furnitureParisian designer Léonie Alma Mason launches LOMM Editions – a new brand presenting 1970s furniture designs created by her grandmother, nonagenarian artist Odile Mir
-
Historic Paris apartment gets wrapped in soft minimalismArchitect Saba Ghorbanalinejad reworks the historic architecture of this Le Marais apartment for the 21st century
-
Francesco Faccin reinvents an anonymous classic chair designFrancesco Faccin revises a traditional chair design for his project presented by Rome-based gallery Giustini / Stagetti
-
Ann Demeulemeester’s first foray into homeware ‘returns to the essence of things’The Belgian fashion designer collaborates with Serax for a collection launching at Maison et Objet this week
