Pianos Maene wins Henry van de Velde label for Doutreligne 7

The Belgian artist and designer Henry van de Velde (1865-1957) studied art with Charles Verlat at the Art Academy in Antwerp. When Henry van de Velde returned to Belgium, he was filled with admiration for Milet and the Barbizon School. He joined the Belgian impressionists Emile Claus and A.J. Heymans and painted mainly landscapes. The first important exposition of the work of Henry van de Velde was held in 1889 at Les Vingt. Henry van de Velde became utterly intrigued by the ideals of the English Arts and Crafts Movement and quit painting entirely around 1894. He began focusing on applied arts and architecture. In addition to designing earthenware, furniture, fashion, jewellery and utensils, he also wrote articles on these subjects in magazines. When he stayed in Germany, he was the Director of the Kunstschule in Weimar, the precursor of the later Bauhaus. During the First World War, he designed the Kröller-Müller Museum in the Netherlands. Back in Belgium, Henry van de Velde was appointed Director of the Institute of Decorative Arts in Brussels. Henry van de Velde was an advocate of purely rational architecture. He designed monuments, theatres (Cologne and Paris), homes and the Ghent University library.

Design Flanders has dedicated its awards & labels to Henry van de Velde because of his versatility, his qualities and his international character. The Henry van de Velde Labels are a quality label for products who distinguish themselves in the market. It can be granted to products as long as they are in production. The label is evidence of the authenticity, the drive for innovation, creativity, finish and the added value of the product.

On January 17th, the Doutreligne 7, a design piano designed by Pianos Maene in cooperation with the Antwerp design bureau GBO design, was officially awarded with the Label for Quality Design in the Flemish parliament. Pianos Maene received the award from Flemish Minister-President Kris Peeters.