Vitra Design Museum

The Vitra Design Museum is one of the world’s leading institutions dedicated to the study, preservation, and presentation of design and architecture. Founded in 1989 in Weil am Rhein, Germany, by Rolf Fehlbaum, the museum reflects Vitra’s conviction that design is a cultural, historical, and social discipline as much as an industrial one.

Housed in an iconic building by Frank Gehry, the museum forms part of the wider Vitra Campus, which brings together landmark architecture by figures such as Zaha Hadid, Tadao Ando, Herzog & de Meuron, SANAA, and Álvaro Siza. The campus functions as a living environment where design history, architecture, and contemporary production intersect.

In addition to its renowned exhibitions and extensive design collection, the Vitra Design Museum is closely associated with the production of the Vitra Miniatures Collection. Since the early 1990s, the museum has overseen the research and development of these accurate 1:6 scale models of iconic chairs, produced using original drawings, archival photographs, and close study of historic prototypes. Each miniature reproduces the construction, materials, and proportions of the original design as faithfully as possible.

The Miniatures Collection includes key works by designers such as Charles and Ray Eames, Gerrit Rietveld, Le Corbusier, Alvar Aalto, Verner Panton, Jean Prouvé, and Mies van der Rohe. Far from being simple collectibles, the miniatures serve as three-dimensional design documents, used by museums, universities, and collectors as educational tools to study design history.

Through its exhibitions, publications, architectural environment, and the Miniatures Collection, the Vitra Design Museum plays a unique role in preserving and communicating the legacy of modern and contemporary design, bridging scholarly research, industrial expertise, and public engagement.