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South of France. Shot by Kiki London. June, 2026.

Willy Guhl / Eternit / Garden Chair / Chair / 1954

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The influence of Willy Guhl (1915-2004) on Swiss „Gestaltung“ goes well beyond his actual designs as it also extends to his long-term work as teacher at Kunstgewerbeschule Zürich: from 1941 to 1980 Guhl qualified several generations of young designers through his example as a skilled craftsman and humble person and the practice-orientedness of his teaching. Up until 26 March 2023 the Museum für Gestaltung Zurich shows the comprehensive retrospective „Willy Guhl - Denken mit den Händen“ that equally takes into account his teaching and his design work. Consequently also the accompanying catalogue published by Lars Muller Publishers includes works by former Guhl students but also examines his actual teaching and highlights his hands-on mentality: Guhl not only used his own designs to illustrate his attitude but also encouraged the students to „think with their hands“, i.e. to soon translate their drawings to actual models in order to review their ideas. At the same time he didn’t limit his class for interior architecture and furniture to these two categories but extended it to industrial and product design, a direct link to his own multidisciplinary practice: by means of the work catalogue included and individual chapters covering e.g. type furniture, his work for and with Eternit, product design and furniture for the industry the reader is presented with comprehensive insights into Guhl’s versatility.

But the starting point for all of his endeavors always was the human being and its needs combined with durability, material honesty and utility: already during WWII Guhl designed low-cost and ready-to-assemble furniture and in 1948 took part in the New York MoMA’s „International Low-Cost Furniture Design“ competition. Together with his brother Emil he designed seat shells derived from human body prints, just like Charles Eames and Eero Saarinen did.

“Willy Guhl – Denken mit den Händen” finally is the long-awaited and comprehensive publication on the work of a key protagonist of Swiss modern design: extensively illustrated and competently explained it is a true reference work that conveniently is also available in an English edition for international audiences to discover the designer’s oeuvre.

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