Literature:

Moeller, Peter Behrens in Düsseldorf, Weinheim 1991, pp. 470 ff., esp. 474 (chair).

Peter Behrens Around 1900, arts and crafts began to change, moving away from the ornamental excesses of historicism and searching for a new, honest form. In the midst of this period of upheaval, Peter Behrens designed the furnishings for the reception room at the Third German Arts and Crafts Exhibition in Dresden in 1906. It is a cohesive ensemble in which architecture, furniture, and decor form a harmonious whole. In the first monograph on Peter Behrens, Fritz Hoeber praises the design with vivid clarity: "The forecourt-like quality of the coolly reserved hallway prepares the viewer for the cozy splendor of the reception room [...] with a deliberate contrast in effect. In this room, one is reminded of the elegantly stuccoed ceiling, divided into two sections, with coffers on the window side and beam-like longitudinal strips at the back, which Behrens had designed at the same time for the exhibition at A. Wertheim and for Gustav Obenauer. The mood is carried by the same elegant proportionality as there, only here it appears heightened to the majestic, quasi-proud grandeur of an imperial Roman palace style.“ The furniture in the reception room follows the same idea of proportion and unity in terms of its dimensions and choice of materials. The Dresden reception room represents Behrens at the height of his artistic phase, shortly before he moved into the industrial sector as a designer and architect. Today, the presentation of Behrens' furniture in institutions and collections offers an opportunity to once again appreciate the significance of this pioneering interior design.