![Marc Newson and Derek Blasberg](https://gagosian.com/media/images/quarterly/marc-newson-derek-blasberg/Bw0711zt1VEj_300x300.jpg)
In Conversation
Marc Newson and Derek Blasberg
Marc Newson tells Derek Blasberg about his newest creations, explaining the backstory of these ornate works.
I’m always looking for processes and techniques that are completely anachronistic. I love recontextualizing these things in a modern time.
—Marc Newson
Gagosian is pleased to present new works by designer Marc Newson. This is Newson’s first exhibition of limited-edition furniture in China.
From the outset of his singular career, Newson has pursued parallel activities in limited and mass production of functional design objects. With inspirations ranging from popular culture to traditional crafts from around the world, he approaches design as both an exploratory technical exercise and a process of conceptual, aesthetic, and physical refinement. Employing sculptural principles to address issues of efficiency, luxury, and use value, Newson has produced a broad array of highly crafted objects—watches, footwear, luggage, furniture, transport—upholding the principle that engineering and aesthetics are inseparable.
Revisiting his roots as a jeweler and silversmith, in this exhibition Newson explores increasingly rare decorative processes at an unconventionally large, even unprecedented, scale. He has long been drawn to the streamlined, simple beauty of Asian art and design: from his Aikuchi swords made in the renowned Tōhoku region of Japan to, most recently, his furniture created using the ancient technique of Chinese cloisonné—an enameling technique that originated in the eastern Mediterranean more than three thousand years ago and spread to China around the fourteenth century.
Marc Newson tells Derek Blasberg about his newest creations, explaining the backstory of these ornate works.
Alison Castle reports on concept cars created by visionaries—architects, artists, amateurs—from outside the field on automotive design.
Carlos Valladares writes on Dino Risi’s Il Sorpasso (1962), examining the narrative structure and underlying tensions that keep viewers returning to this classic film.
Marc Newson joins restaurateur Ruth Rogers to discuss the compendium of topics he selected for a special supplement he guest-edited for the Spring 2023 issue of the Quarterly.
As part of the artist’s guest-edited special section for the Spring 2023 issue of the Quarterly, Marc Newson reflects with IWA Sake founder Richard Geoffroy and architect Kengo Kuma on their respective contributions to IWA Sake in Japan: bottle, brewing, and building. The sake brewery, or kura in Japanese, takes its name from its site of Shiraiwa, located in the town of Tateyama.
The Tokyo Toilet project has added twelve new public restrooms by renowned architects and designers to the city’s map since 2020, with five more scheduled to open in 2022. To learn more about the initiative, the Quarterly spoke with founder Koji Yanai and two of the participating designers, Toyo Ito and Marc Newson.
In this video, Marc Newson provides an overview of his latest exhibition. He details the various technical processes behind his new designs, including works in cloisonné, surfboards, swords, and large-scale glass chairs.
The Spring 2019 issue of Gagosian Quarterly is now available, featuring Red Pot with Lute Player #2 by Jonas Wood on its cover.