Archive and Library

In the archive and library of the Vitra Design Museum, sources, documents and books on the history of industrial furniture design and associated topics are collected and compiled in a database. An especially wide-ranging aspect are the holdings on design from the USA in the 1950s and 1960s, and virtually unequalled is the documentation on tubular steel design from the 1920s through the 1950s. Yet the collection of source material on the history of bentwood furniture is also of major significance, having been frequently used by outside researchers as well as for the museum’s own exhibitions.

The archive holdings include the estates of various designers and other documents. The estates of George Nelson, Alexander Girard, Anton Lorenz, Verner Panton and Harry Bertoia mostly contain technical drawings, freehand sketches and photographic material and in some cases correspondence as well.

The library encompasses books and journals on industrial furniture design and associated areas from the fields of design, architecture and art. The trademark of the library is its international orientation, with titles representing all the languages of cultural significance. In addition, the library always attempts to obtain first editions of important books when possible.