The Pentagon Group formed in 1985 in Cologne by 5 designers at a time when avant-garde and experimental design was in prominent focus in Europe.
The New German design movement spawned different 'schools' or groups from within, each with its own particular characteristics according to geographical location and influence. The young Berlin designers, close to the Neue Wilden painters of the time, produced many figurative pieces and were more aggressive in their experiments, eager to shake off and replace the old avant garde. Pentagon, the group from Cologne, remained more constructivist in their approach and favored stricter, more minimal forms. The common denominator among the different groups was a distinct sense of 'self' evident in their work which had not been evident in previous classic German design culture. With its brutal honesty, new German 80's design remains uncontrived, refreshing, and truly reflective of the social conditions from which it originated.
