Rocking car, Hochschule für Bildende Künste Dresden für Siegfried Lenz, former German Democratic Republic (GDR) | Designed in 1950, early production
Beech frame and plywood seat with painted imitation of wood, wheels of red lacquered wood, black hard rubber, iron wheel axles
This icon of GDR design can be found in the collections of the MoMA, V&A and Grassi Museum. It has recently been shown in the Vitra Design Museum. The designer Hans Brockhage created the rocking car at the Hochschule für Bildende Künste Dresden under the supervision of Mart Stam and in cooperation with Erwin Andrä for the constructive work. The avant-garde spirit of the Bauhaus still influenced the design of the rocking car in 1950. The ingenuity lies in the toy's dual function - usable from two sides as car and as rocking chair. It was patented in 1951. Hans Brockhage received awards from the Ulmer Hochschule and the XII. Triennale, Milan.
Literature: Deutsches Design 1949-1989 - Zwei Länder, eine Geschichte, Vitra Design Museum; Kunstgewerbemuseum, Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden, Wüstenrot Stiftung, Katalog zur gleichnamigen Ausstellung 20.03.2021 - 05.09.2021, Weil am Rhein, 2021, 104, 105
