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ES Shelf

A work made of beech wood.
© Nils Holger Moormann GmbH.

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  • A work made of beech wood.

Date:

1999

Artist:

Konstantin Grcic (German, born 1965)
Manufactured by Moormann (German, founded 1982)

About this artwork

The ES Shelf is an intriguing design that requires the user to take a leap of faith. At first glance, the bookshelf looks unfinished, perhaps even broken: the four shelves lean at awkward angles and appear unstable, as though they could not support anything for long. Once books are placed on the shelves, however, the poles that support the system stabilize and demonstrate the object’s ultimate fulfillment of its purpose. For Grcic, the ES Shelf was a statement of principle, illustrating that “it’s exaggerated to use technology that serves to build bridges just to hold up a few books, when a handful of sticks and the odd shelf will do.”

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Architecture and Design

Artist

Konstantin Grcic (Designer)

Title

ES Shelf

Place

Germany (Artist's nationality:)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

1999

Medium

Beech wood

Dimensions

152.4 × 45.7 × 5 cm (60 × 18 × 2 in.)

Credit Line

Gift of Nils Holger Moormann GmbH

Reference Number

2009.620

Copyright

© Nils Holger Moormann GmbH.

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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