Since the 1930s, Trude Petri-Raben (1906–1998) has been regarded as one of the most important designers of finely crafted manufactory porcelain. With her “Urbino” tableware service, created in 1932, she achieved a milestone in modern porcelain design. To this day, this successful service is featured in almost every major survey of 20th-century German and European design and represents the avant-garde of around 1930.
Less well known is Petri-Raben’s life and work following her emigration to the United States in 1949. In Chicago, she discovered new artistic freedoms and turned to other materials and techniques. Working with stoneware, in particular, became an important field of experimentation.
On 25 August 2026, it will be 120 years since Trude Petri-Raben’s birth. The presentation on the Object Stage brings together the reception history of “Urbino” and Petri-Raben’s hitherto little-examined period of work in the United States. Historical photographs, designs and objects trace the development of her work between Berlin and Chicago.
4.2 m²: The Object Stage at the Werkbundarchiv – Museum der Dinge provides a space within the permanent exhibition for collaborations, artistic interventions and new perspectives on the collection.
Credits:
Curation: Klára Němečková
