May 13 - August 28 2022
Exhibition Christa Ehrlich – Pioneer of Design
- Order your tickets online
- Take a look at the activities.
- Download the app and read more about the highlights of this exhibition
This exhibition will introduce you to Christa Ehrlich, who one hundred years ago moved from Austria to the Dutch town of Voorschoten, where she designed innovative modern silverware.
EXPERIMENTAL AND VERSATILE
Designer Christa Ehrlich (1903-1995), who was born in Vienna, became well-known in the 1920s and ’30s for her striking, elegant silverware. In her twenties, she quickly made a name for herself in Vienna before moving to the so-called Zilverfabriek (Silver Factory) of Van Kempen, Begeer & Vos (K.N.E.B.) in Voorschoten. There she experimented with modernist design and the language of the machine, creating objects that offered a striking contrast to the classic silverware being produced at that time.
Christa Ehrlich was versatile. In other designs, she incorporated lush decorative forms and motifs. Here one can see the influence of her time at the Wiener Werkstätte, a production community of visual artists in Vienna.
Besides silver objects - from croquette spoon to coffee pot - fashion drawings, wallpaper and ceramics by her hand can be admired in this exhibition. Attention is also paid to the two worlds in which she worked: the creative climate in Vienna and Zilverfabriek Voorschoten.
SPECIAL DISCOVERY
The impetus for the exhibition is the recent discovery by guest curator Annemieke Houben of Ehrlich’s personal archive , including designs, photographs and documents. These shed new light on Ehrlich’s network and working methods. Houben also found objects from the Wiener Werkstätte in the estate of Carel Begeer, general manager of the company behind the silver factory.
In this exhibiton, the recently discovered archive and works from other collections, such as that of the Dutch Silver Museum Schoonhoven, form an important addition to Museum De Lakenhal’s collection. This already contains several works produced at the Zilverfabriek in nearby Voorschoten, the place where Ehrlich’s experimental designs were put into production.
WOMAN IN A MAN’S WORLD
Tanja Elstgeest, Director of Museum De Lakenhal, explains how Ehrlich’s life story provides a wonderful insight into developments in design in the first half of the twentieth century: ‘She is representative of the pioneering and experimental spirit that contributed to what we now call the creative industries. This makes Ehrlich, who didn’t shy away from climbing ladders in overalls, an inspiring role model – both as a designer and as a woman in a man’s world.’
Van zilverspreekuren, een workshop blockprinten of een rondleiding in gebarentaal: rondom de tentoonstelling van Christa Ehrlich valt veel te beleven.
naar de activiteitenFamiliespoor - Op reis met Christa Ehrlich
Speciaal voor families is er een Familiespoor voor deze tentoonstelling. Haal de reisgids en het bijbehorend tasje op bij de informatiebalie en ontdek de wereld van Christa Ehrlich. Speur naar details, speel spelletjes op zaal en oefen zelf met ontwerpen.
lees meer
sieradenlijn Impressions
Geïnspireerd door Christa Ehrlich maakte de Leidse ontwerper Eva Schreuder een sieradelijn. Schreuder dook samen met gastconservator Annemieke Houben in het bijzondere oeuvre en archief van Ehrlich. De florare tekeningen en patronen inspireerden haar tot het ontwerpen van een set oorbellen en twee hangers. De sieraden zijn te koop in de museumwinkel.
meer over ImpressionsDocumentaire Omgewoelde aarde
Documentairemaker Marit Geluk volgde Eva Schreuder tijdens haar ontwerpproces voor de documentaire Omgewoelde aarde. De film duurt 15 minuten en is gedurende de tentoonstelling in het Auditorium te zien én online.
bekijk de film
This exhibition is curated by guest conservator Annemieke Houben.
With thanks to:
Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds Zuid-Holland | Leiden, Stad van Ontdekkingen | M.A.O.C. Gravin van Bylandt Stichting.