Neighbours: Lectures on History & Theory of Architecture, Vol.1. Lecture 5 / TPOD, ACHT, THEMA, HITAM

Design history has in no way neglected Knoll. The US-based company, its founders Hans and Florence Knoll, and the architects or designers who worked with them are included in virtually every history of modern furniture and monographic studies have studied their most iconic products. Scholarship on Knoll, however, has largely followed the narrative established in richly illustrated catalogues and books by authorized Knoll authors. While these books contribute valuable knowledge of the company and rightfully situate the company’s early history in the postwar political climate, they often recount a classic American success story centering on the two Knolls and the furniture and designers who collaborated with them in New York between the 1940s and early 60s. Also the impressive overseas expansion of the company under the name of Knoll International is first and foremost referenced or discussed from the perspective of the parent company in the US. 
This lecture presents an ongoing research line, developed in collaboration with dr. Cammie McAtee, that challenges this essentialist narrative. Based on recently published case-studies on Knoll in the Benelux and in France and on ongoing exploratory research in preparation of two new publications, it shows that Knoll’s international expansion was not simply a case of one-way influence. In many countries where a licensee or subsidiary was established, the company initiated sometimes unexpected transcultural and transdisciplinary dialogues, particularly involving local architecture, design and art communities. Studying these dialogues, the research aims to show, is critical to understanding Knoll’s political and cultural relevance in the US as well as abroad.