Wolfgang Laubersheimer

WOLFGANG LAUBERSHEIMER (Germany, 1955) for Gruppe Pentagon.
Verspanntes Regal" bookcase, 1984.
Patinated steel with tensioning cable.
Very good state of preservation.
Measurements: 250 x 31 x 42 cm.

Bookcase designed by Wolfgang Laubersheimer for the German collective Gruppe Pentagon, one of the most representative proposals of Central European experimental design of the eighties. Made of patinated steel, the piece presents a tall, narrow and slightly curved structure, with open shelves arranged vertically and a lateral tensioning cable that does not act as a decorative element, but as an essential part of its stability system.

The design, known as "Verspanntes Regal", is based on a construction of great apparent simplicity, where the tension, weight and inclination of the structure generate a functional and sculptural balance. Its austere and radical industrial language reflects Laubersheimer's research into metal, the architecture of the object and the boundary between furniture and sculpture. The dark surface of the steel, with its natural patina, reinforces the material character of the piece and its status as a singular object.

Wolfgang Laubersheimer was a founding member of Gruppe Pentagon, a collective based in Cologne and active during the 1980s. His work is characterized by the direct use of industrial materials, especially steel, as well as by a conception of furniture close to sculpture and architecture. His works are part of design collections such as those of the Kunstpalast Düsseldorf and the Museum für Angewandte Kunst Köln / MAKK, institutions that preserve examples of his production linked to Gruppe Pentagon.