Nicknamed ‘poet of light’, influential multi-award-winning German industrial designer Ingo Maurer (1932–2019) specialised in the design of lamps and light installations.

The title of this catalogue, Ingo Maurer intim (Ingo Maurer close up) alludes to how the designer perceived his own work.

In close and trusting collaboration with his team, Maurer developed each step from the initial sketch to the final product to the sales process.

Design or what? alludes to the exciting interaction of design, art, and architecture. Because with Maurer’s objects the question often arises of how, if at all, they can be pigeonholed in terms of style.

Published on the occasion of the exhibition, Ingo Maurer intim: Design or What?’ at Pinakothek der Moderne, Munich (15 November 2019 – 18 October 2020).

Co-published with Design Museum, Munich.

English and German text.