
Radical German design on display at Pulp Galerie
To mark the opening of its new space on Rue de Seine, Pulp Galerie is presenting an exhibition dedicated to the radical German collective Pentagon Gruppe.
Five designers, one singular perspective: the radicality of the object. For the opening of its new showroom, Pulp Galerie, founded by Paul Ménacer-Poussin and Paul-Louis Betto, is showcasing the German collective Pentagon Gruppe until March 21. Comprising Gerd Arens, Wolfgang Laubersheimer, Reinhard Müller, Ralph Sommer, and Meyer Voggenreiter, the group champions the aesthetic of the unfinished. Founded in 1985 in Cologne at the height of the Cold War, Pentagon Gruppe was built on the belief that design could spark a revolution. At a time when the artist was largely overlooked and the synergy between industry and design was far from the Italian model, these creators went against the grain of their era. Disregarding the functionalism and formal sobriety inherited from the Bauhaus, the studio prioritized ideas over comfort. The object had to be a manifesto, and radicality was that manifesto. With massive, heavy pieces, visible scratches, and intentionally raw welds, the concepts conveyed were meant to be visible and inherent to the objects themselves. The structure commands attention, much like Wolfgang Laubersheimer’s Seerose sideboard, crafted from steel and raw lava stone.

A desire to push boundaries
While the collective remains unclassifiable—though objectively driven by a radicality where style dominates all else—the exhibited pieces hint at the concept of movement. This omnipresence is particularly evident in the Folding bed, which adopts Jean Prouvé’s compass structure, the Shelf Unit for Cheap Glasses on casters, and the Mai 68 magazine racks, which serve as clear material transpositions of the instability reigning in France at the time. These are all references to the industrial sector. Yet, this notion also takes on a more poetic form. From the miniature stream watering the plants on the imposing Amazonia table made of Ruhr stone, to the Voyage à Milan mobile pendant light featuring a circling train, movement reflects the studio’s total creative freedom, expressed through cold materials and rigid volumes. This approach came to an end after only a decade of activity, when an ambitious project for an itinerant, robotic artist’s café led Pentagon Gruppe to bankruptcy. It was a total and radical adventure in every sense, which Pulp Galerie invites you to discover through a selection of around twenty objects.
The exhibition Pentagon Gruppe: Silent Brutality is on view until March 21, 2026, at Pulp Galerie, 30 Rue de Seine, in the 6th arrondissement of Paris.












