Business Finance Media Technology Policy Wealth Insights Interviews

Art Art Fairs Art Market Art Reviews Auctions Galleries Museums Interviews

Lifestyle Nightlife & Dining Style Travel Interviews

Power Lists Nightlife & Dining Art A.I. PR

About About Observer Advertise With Us Reprints

Marc Benda On Design’s Long Ascent and the Limits of Category

The Friedman Benda co-founder reflects on the evolution of design as an artistic practice, the gallerist's role as editor and what's next for this maturing market.

Friedman Benda in New York was one of the very first galleries to put design on the same level as fine art, adopting a business model and approach closer to those of a contemporary gallery when dealing with both the work and its creators. Founded in 2007 by Marc Benda and Barry Friedman, the gallery has played a pivotal role in elevating design to a conceptual, museum-level practice, while, from the very beginning, showing a clear commitment to fostering a more critical understanding of design history. Benda and Friedman’s strategy involved expanding the design discourse beyond its established sources, bringing forward perspectives that had previously been marginalized. Identifying and advancing key narratives at the intersection of contemporary design, craft, architecture, fine art and cutting-edge technological research, the gallery championed a fertile synthesis between leading creative thinkers and makers, moving fluidly beyond disciplinary boundaries.

Sign Up For Our Daily Newsletter

Thank you for signing up!

By clicking submit, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge we may use your information to send you emails, product samples, and promotions on this website and other properties. You can opt out anytime.

When we connect during TEFAF Maastricht, Marc Benda is quick to state that “collectible design” is not part of his vocabulary. “What we do is quite simple: we work with design—furniture and objects created by artists, architects, and designers. But the idea of labeling something as ‘collectible’ raises questions. Do you need to tell someone that something is collectible? Is one object inherently more collectible than another? I’m not convinced.”

Benda considers the design works they deal with to be simply art. They have a functional dimension, but he acknowledges that, in working with both artists and sculptors, the similarities in the creative process often outweigh the differences. “The idea of representing design in the same way art galleries represent artists is the core idea of the gallery.” The main difference between design and art, he adds, lies in production. “Design objects are fabricated: they involve processes, materials, and technical constraints. But fundamentally, the creative drive is similar.”

Art........

© Observer