Chest of Drawers in the Brooklyn Museum, August 2007

Tejo Remy (Dutch, born 1960)
Chest of Drawers, Model #45 : "You Can't Lay Down Your Memories"
Designed 1991, made 2005
Made by Droog (1993-present), the Netherlands
Various woods, painted and unpainted metal, plastic, paper, jute
Accession # 2005.36

This cabinet was made under the auspices of Droog, an informal confederation of Dutch designers, founded by Gijs Bakker, a product designer, and Renny Ramakers, an art historian. No work better exemplifies Droog than this cabinet constructed from recycled drawer fronts inserted into newly constructed wooden boxes that are held together by a commerical cinch strap. Witty, and yet functional, this example, number 45 of a limited series, may seem to be merely a melange of used and new furniture parts, but in fact, it is a well-considered composition, balanced in both shape and color. Although the maker composed the original arrangement of the drawers in each cabinet (as seen here), the new owner is invited to rearrange the parts at will. Droog's dramatic and sometimes heretical approach to art challenges accepted ideas of decorum in design and materials in conscious opposition to design history.

Text from the Brooklyn Museum label.