Ben Van Berkel - New Now London Wednesday, December 5, 2018 | Phillips

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  • Provenance

    Acquired directly from the artist by the present owner

  • Catalogue Essay

    The current works by Ben Van Berkel and Peter Eisenman arose from a collaborative project made between Phillips and ARTinD in which eight international architects each designed a unique carpet, focusing on the relationship between design and the tactile and direct nature of the art of craft. Carpets are an important spatial element of the interior landscape. Each carpet, different in their design and format, reflect the singular viewpoint of the architect on the complex and fascinating theme of the Golden Ratio. Architects have almost disappeared from the custom made interior landscape, designing the container, but no longer the contents. This project required the architect to re-examine their position in relation to the design of an everyday object. The resulting work represents a prototype as well as the possibility of things to come.

    The Dutch architect Ben van Berkel co-founded the architectural practice UNStudio which have gone on to design, among others, the Erasmus Bridge in Rotterdam, the Moebius House in the Netherlands, the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart, Germany, Arnhem Central Station, the Singapore University of Architecture and Design, Raffles City in Hangzhou and numerous other buildings. Ben van Berkel’s awards include the A&W Architect of the Year 2017, the KUBUS Award in 2016, the highest honour awarded by The Royal Institute of Dutch Architects and Charles Jencks Award in 2007.

    In creating the present work, Ben van Berkel started with a map of his hometown Amsterdam. Talking about the present work Ben Van Berkel elaborates:
    "I enjoy making carpets. The main inspiration for my carpet is based on one of my ideas of painting. I paint a lot, without an architectural goal - just as an experiment of form. My design for the carpet is the combination of a painting and a map. The Golden Ratio can be also found in the city map of Amsterdam, where our headquarters are located. The canals divide the city into smaller districts, similar to the spiral of the ratio. Carpets can bring things together. They can harmonize the furniture in a room, bring people together in front of a fireplace. Carpets can be sensual, functional and also formal. People often believe you can complete a room with a carpet. I believe rooms start with a good carpet. I particularly like the idea that it is round and large and I hope that you can place your furniture on it and make it part of the room".

67

Unique rug

hand-knotted silk and preparatory drawing
300 cm (118 1/8 in.) diameter
Executed in 2017.

Estimate
£25,000 - 35,000 

Sold for £25,000

Contact Specialist
Simon Tovey
Head of Sale
+44 20 7318 4084

New Now

London Auction 5 December 2018