Néstor Basterretxea, pioneer of modern Basque design
Néstor Basterretxea, pioneer of modern Basque design
Nestor Basterretxea (Bermeo 1924 – Hondarribia 2014) initially trained as an architect. However, this did not prevent him from becoming an artist; a role he embraced in order to explore other creative fields such as cinema, design and even architecture.
His origins in industrial design date back to the late 1940s in Buenos Aires, where the young Nestor studied at the Instituto Huergo and worked as an illustrator for the Swiss multinational, Nestlé. There he learned the fundamental principles of perspective, delineation and projection that he would later put into practice in his painting and sculpture. This design logic would become his personal trademark, which he would always combine with an expressionist and humanist spirit.
In 1957, he joined Equipo 57 and explored the principles of spatial interactivity. Alongside Jorge Oteiza, he decorated the apartment of industrialist and patron Juan Huarte in Madrid. In 1958, he began designing for H Muebles, a fledgling modern furniture company. There he met other designers, such as Gregorio Vicente Cortés, Huarte’s trusted technician and designer.
Basterretxea was commissioned to design the first pieces of furniture for the catalogue, while producing furniture for the Spanish Pavilion at the 1958 World’s Fair in Brussels, designed by architects Ramón Vázquez Molezún and José Antonio Corrales. Basterretxea’s designs for H Muebles are characterised by a metal structure supported by a Meccano-style connector, on which soft seats rest. He also designed small coffee tables in wood or glass with asymmetrical metal ribs. For H Muebles, he designed the first version of the Diván H, one of his most original signature designs.
Néstor Basterretxea and Jorge Oteiza with the model of the Sabino Arana Foundation and the sculpture Open Cubes, Interior Spaces, Light Retentions, 1979. © J. García Koch / Jorge Oteiza museoaren artxiboa
Promotional photo of Espiral furniture. © Irungo udal artxiboa
His experience in Madrid and his close relationships with architects and designers, enriched by Oteiza’s theoretical teachings, familiarised him with the Bauhaus ideal of integrating the arts. He had great skill and a keen eye for combining furniture, atmosphere, decoration and art. When he moved into his brand new house-studio in Irun in the late 1950s, he noticed the absence of modern furniture (made of tubular metal or bent wood) in Basque homes.
He then began to forge links between industry and creativity, marking the beginning of the modernisation of domestic furniture. In Irun, he was responsible for the interior design of the Aguirre tasting room and, in 1961, he became a partner in a new shop in Donostia called Espiral. This shop, which sold domestic and imported furniture, also served as an office for decoration and interior design projects. Espiral also produced some curved plywood furniture, such as a bench and small side table in dibetou and sipo, as well as other simple wooden tables.
Espiral’s designs were inspired by Nordic austerity and a taste for Japanese horizontality. Espiral became a reference point for those who wanted to furnish their homes with the latest trends. Its premises also served as an impromptu meeting place for the city’s intellectual and cultural intelligentsia. Among Espiral’s most original creations is its chess set that comes with a storage box for the pieces. Basterretxea revisited some of his old ideas, such as the Diván H, for which he created a new prototype, followed by a third version of the sofa for Biok. This obsession with his own designs shows the artist’s deep attachment to his work.
Divan H, Biok, 1965. © Irungo udal artxiboa
Chessboard and chess pieces, 1967. © Irungo udal artxiboa
“A clear evolution can be seen at Biok: the austerity of the early designs gave way to more rounded, warmer, pop-inspired organic shapes.”
Espiral’s business grew, and at the same time, Basterretxea began working as an “exclusive model designer” for Biok, a small, newly established company in Irun specialising in the production and marketing of furniture, which he joined as a partner in 1965. Although Espiral and Biok were two separate companies, they were linked by common partners, and the creative link between the two entities was provided by the designer. Espiral became the first point of sale for furniture designed and produced in Irun.
At Biok, Basterretxea developed his full potential, working closely with technicians and employees. They used complex cabinet-making and assembly techniques and made more sophisticated use of African woods. A clear evolution can be seen at Biok: the austerity of the early designs gave way to more rounded, warmer, pop-inspired organic shapes. This was an attempt to escape the monotonous sobriety of rationalism with high-end furniture that never sacrificed functionality or comfort. It was also the era of the domestic revolution led by the Italian magazines Domus and Casabella, which Nestor regularly received at his home.
This world of references blended with a passion for indigenous culture. The pieces for Biok were named after coastal villages: Orio, Zumaia, Getaria… The sturdy Bermeo desk evokes the prow of a boat or a breakwater and is reminiscent of many of the artist’s sculptures based on circles and semicircles. Nature and art are thus translated into industrial design: the dynamism of the curve, the rising spiral, the ever-changing shape of the waves… This period was marked by Basterretxea’s commitment to Basque identity and culture. It is therefore probably no coincidence that his most fertile period at Biok coincided with the gestation and production of the feature film Ama Lur (1968), a major milestone in Basque culture during the Franco regime.
Néstor Basterretxea, Julio Amóstegui, and Fernando Larruquert on the set of Ama Lur, a documentary considered foundational to Basque cinema.
In a very short time, Biok began participating in several of Europe’s most important design fairs, such as the one in Cologne. In 1968, Basterretxea designed two variations of his most unique and personal design, a true aesthetic manifesto that reflected his entire stylistic ideology: the Kurpilla armchair (a phonetic variation of Gurpila, which means ‘wheel’ in Basque). This was a “camp” style model with a counter-curve in the armrests, which elevated it to the ranks of the best designs of the 1960s. In the same year, Biok had successfully launched the “BK system” of modular furniture for the home and office.
Néstor Basterretxea with workers from the Biok furniture company, Irun, 1960s. © Basterretxea family
Basterretxea then sketched and produced small models, photographs and displays of a whole series of visionary prototypes. These would be his legacy to the world of design. With his artistic expressiveness being constrained by standardised production, he distanced himself from Biok. This marked the end of his involvement in industrial design, which had lasted just over a decade. This period was enough to make Néstor Basterretxea a leading figure in Spain and a pioneer of modern Basque design.
