Exhibitions played a central role in the fifteen-year history of the Ulm School of Design (HfG) – as a medium of teaching, self-representation, and critical discourse. Originally conceived as a three-volume publication, this two-book set now presents the volumes From Ulm to the World by Christopher Haaf and Pleasant Objectivity by Linus Rapp. Together, they offer a new perspective on the HfG’s exhibition practices, closely linked to the school’s international influence and institutional self-reflection.
Haaf’s monograph explores exhibitions as a response to local skepticism and as a means of gaining global visibility. Rapp focuses on the design practice and its theoretical frameworks, with particular attention to public responses. Both books are the result of the research project “Exhibiting Design,” funded by the Volkswagen Foundation, which drew upon largely unknown archival material. This two-volume set provides a new foundation for engaging with the legacy of the HfG Ulm and invites further research.
