Petits Mondes, A century of design for children
PARTNERSHIP
villa Noailles – Métropole Toulon Provence Méditerranée
Centre Pompidou – Centre national des arts plastiques – Mobilier national – Musée des arts décoratifs
DESIGN COLLECTIONS
Centre Pompidou, Centre national des arts plastiques (CNAP), musée des Arts décoratifs, Mobilier national
villa Noailles off-site programme
Centre Pompidou Constellation programme
CURATION
Marie-Ange Brayer, Chief Curator, Design and Industrial Prospective department, Musée national d’art moderne, Centre Pompidou
Anne Monier Vanryb, Curator in charge of the Art Deco and Toys collection, musée des Arts décoratifs de Paris
Lucile Montagne, Chief Heritage Curator, Head of the Inspection department, Mobilier national
Céline Saraiva, Curator, in charge of the Design and Decorative Arts collection, Centre national des arts plastiques
Exhibition design by Hall.Haus (Teddy Sanches, Sammy Bernoussi, Zachari Boukhari, Abdoulaye Niang)
On the occasion of the Design Parade Toulon International Interior Design Festival, the exhibition ‘Petits Mondes’ explores the world of children’s design. Based on a selection of works from national collections, furniture, toys, decorative objects and illustrated books will make up a playful journey based on imagination and creativity. This exhibition follows on from the exhibition ‘L’Enfance du design’ (The Childhood of Design), organised at the Centre Pompidou in Paris in 2024, and builds on the legacy of national collections that each bear witness to the richness of children’s design.
Heir to the Centre de Création Industrielle and its exhibitions dedicated to childhood, including ‘The City & the Child’ in 1977-1978
and ‘Toys and Games’ in 1979, the Centre Pompidou’s Design Collection Pompidou Centre’s Design Collection has been enriched in recent years with some sixty pieces of children’s furniture acquired thanks to the support of the Bonpoint brand and now comprises some 120 works. The collection of the Centre National des Arts Plastiques has also been enriched with important collections, including the Les Trois Ourses association’s collection (1988-2018), which focuses on children’s books designed by artists and designers. This collection now has more than 500 items. The toy department of the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, created in 1973, houses more than 15,000 toys from the late 18th century to the present day.
From popular games to exceptional pieces (princely games, Lanvin dolls, designer games), the collection offers a comprehensive overview of the evolution of toys, reflecting social and technological changes. Finally, the prototypes produced by the Atelier de Recherche et de Création du Mobilier National, created on the initiative of André Malraux in 1964, bear witness to the innovative research of contemporary designers in the field of children’s furniture. From furniture to toys, from the Modern Movement to pop aesthetics, from bedrooms to nurseries, the exhibition evokes the great educators of the 20th century who created objects and games for children (Enzo Mari, Bruno Munari, Katsumi Komagata), traces the evolution of children’s furniture, most often multifunctional, where play takes centre stage, while fitting into the domesticity of the former 19th-century mansion that now houses the Hôtel des Arts TPM, the city’s art space, through a thematic journey. Staged by the Hall.Haus collective of designers (Teddy Sanches, Sammy Bernoussi, Zachari Boukhari, Abdoulaye Niang), finalists in the 2022 Hyères Design Parade Festival, this journey, inspired by children’s games (Snakes and Ladders, Chat perché, Aire de jeux, Carrousel, etc.) brings together some 200 works by around 60 creators from the early 20th century to the present day, reflecting the evolution and diversity of the fields explored by design to meet the needs and imagination of childhood. The exhibition is accompanied by a catalogue, co-published by the Villa Noailles, the Hôtel des Arts TPM
and the Centre Pompidou.