Public guided tour of the new temporary exhibition The Charm and Beauty of Bentwood: From Thonet to Today

On Ta veseli dan kulture (Happy Day of Slovene Culture), you are kindly invited to a public guided tour of the new temporary exhibition The Charm and Beauty of Bentwood: From Thonet to Today.

The exhibition of the most interesting and valuable examples of bentwood furniture from the collection of the Intermunicipal Museum Kamnik and the private collection of Jurij and Ilona Rihar offers a glimpse into a world where wood submits to form—without losing its natural qualities.

At the centre of the story stands the visionary Michael Thonet, whose life’s path tells a tale of boldness, clear vision, and the ability to see more in wood than just raw material. Already in the mid-19th century, he managed to combine artisanal mastery, technical innovation, and industrial logic into an aesthetic and functional whole. The technique of bending solid wooden rods with the help of steam, curving them in metal moulds, and drying them has remained almost unchanged from its invention in 1856 to the present day.

This innovative method gave rise to numerous magnificent objects that soon conquered the world. The furniture was fashionable, elegant, lightweight, easy to transport, and affordable. Thonet’s pioneering technique not only enabled serial production but also created an object that became synonymous with timeless design—the legendary Chair No. 14. It became an almost obligatory piece of interior furnishing in cafés, hotels, public spaces, and homes around the world, securing Thonet a place among the pioneers of modern design.

The tour will be led by the exhibition’s co-author, Zora Torkar.