Maarten Baas is undoubtedly one of the leading designers of his generation. If you're a fan of the Dutch design sensibility, typified in the collections of Droog and Moooi, then you don't want to miss this special event at the Powerhouse Museum. Baas is perhaps best known for his 'Smoke' collection of furniture, which involves methodically burning furniture with a blow torch and then 'salvaging' the pieces by coating them in translucent resin sealer.

In Sydney as special guest judge for this year's Bombay Sapphire Design Discovery Award, Baas will speak about his career to date, and the varied body of work which has seen him ascend to the height of his profession. The event will be hosted by David Clark, editor of Vogue Living.

Tickets are $15 and include cocktails served by Bombay Sapphire from 6.30pm. The talk commences at 7.00pm sharp.

BOOK ONLINE or phone 02 9217 0222.

Presented by Vogue Living and Bombay Sapphire in collaboration with the Powerhouse Museum

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Maarten Baas
Real Time on YouTube
Dutch design in the Powerhouse Museum collection


BIOGRAPHY
Maarten Baas (19/02/1978) was born in Arnsberg, Germany and grew up in The Netherlands. Upon graduating from high school in 1995, he began studies at the prestigious Design Academy Eindhoven. While at college he designed 'Knuckle' candle holder, which was taken into production by Pols’ Potten. In 2000 he also studied at the Politecnico di Milano, in Milan.

When Baas graduated from the Design Academy Eindhoven in 2002 three pieces from the 'Smoke' collection were put into production by Moooi and launched during the Salone del Mobile in 2003. The success of this launch was followed by a solo show one year later at Moss gallery in New York and critical acclaim. 'Smoke' is now in museum collections around the world, including the Victoria & Albert Museum, Groninger Museum and Montreal Museum of Fine Arts.

In 2005 Baas began collaborating with Bas den Herder, who is now responsible for the production and development of almost all of Baas’s designs. The founding of studio Baas & den Herder made it possible to experiment further with unique, handmade pieces and to produce them on a larger scale. This new collaboration also allows Baas to take on even more ambitious projects for hotels, restaurants, galleries, museums and private commissions from all over the world.

At Salone del Mobile in 2005 he unveiled ‘Treasure Furniture’, ‘Hey, chair, be a bookshelf!’ and ‘Flatpack Furniture’, which where also received with acclaim, and acquired for the collections of the Los Angeles Museum for Modern Art, FNAC, and Indianapolis Museum of Art. In the same year, Baas collaborated with Ian Schrager’s design team on the new Gramercy Park Hotel, creating new Smoke pieces for the rooms and the hotel lobby.

At Salone del Mobile in 2006 Baas presented 'Clay Furniture', which was immediately recognized as the natural successor to Smoke and was ultimately one of the most surprising projects unveiled at the festival. In that same year the Design Museum in London displayed 18 pieces from the Clay collection. Clay is also in the collections of the Röhsska Museet Göteborg, the Groninger Museum, and the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts.

'Sculpt' followed in 2007 and in 2008 his presentation of both old and new work was arguably the most talked about exhibition in Milan. In 2009 Baas has designed for the new Italian label Skitsch and the British Established & Sons. He has also ventured into filmmaking with Real Time (2009), which has been acquired by the Rijksmuseum, the Philip Johnson Glass House and the Zuiderzeemuseum.

In 2009 Baas is the youngest designer to be named Designer of the Year at Design Miami.

Maarten Baas lives and works on a farm in the countryside near Hertogenbosch.

Maarten Baas
Real Time on YouTube


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