For the Knoll au Louvre exhibit, the Vignellis restored a 45 foot high wing of the museum and designed 8 ft high cubes in which the furniture was presented in proper scale.
They placed audio viual cubes on top of some of the furniture cubes to master the height of the space,
The cubes on casters, could be moved and placed in different locations and alignments.
Photos above and below courtesy of the Archives of American Art / Smithsonian ( Florence knoll papers)
In 1972 a special exhibition at the Louvre, Paris was created to celebrate Knoll’s achievements in product, showroom, interior and graphic design
After years of planning and design, the Knoll au Louvre exhibition opened at the Pavillon de Marsan, Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris.
The exhibition was a celebration and retrospective of the company’s first 25 years and a testament to Knoll’s impact on the world of design.
Since its early days Knoll fostered the idea that graphic design is just as important as product design
Knoll, through the Vignellis, were totally involved in the design development process for their products and for the whole range of marketing materials which were produced in house.
There was a common interest in design management and appreciation of design, especially as it relates to Modernism.
Knoll as a company historically recognised the value of investing in quality photographs., printing, paper and in good writing.
Knoll was founded on the idea that graphic design and communications go hand in hand with product design.
There was never a need to rationalise or justify those investments
Catalog of the Exhibition Held at Pavillon De Marsan Musee Des Arts Decoratifs 107, Rue De Rivoli, Paris January 12 to March 12, 1972.
Massimo Vignelli (designer), Herbert Matter (color photography):
NYC: Knoll International/Chanticleer Press, 1971. First edition.
Softcover book in a stiff, printed wrappers:
Text in English.
11.5 x 11.75 book with approx. 68 pages and many color photographs by Herbert Matter, produced specifically for this
Draft concepts for the Catalogue by the Vignellis
.