Untold Stories follows the exhibition of the same name that was held at the Design Museum in Brussels until April 2025. For the first time, it brought together the works of over 50 female designers and creators active in Belgium between 1880 and 1980. The creations were selected from various disciplines, including applied and graphic arts, as well as product and interior design.
It is clear that the mechanisms of patriarchy have continuously shaped the history of design, resulting in the exclusion or invisibilization of women’s work in collections, archives, and textbooks. Untold Stories presents famous names alongside anonymous figures who worked in the shadows of industrial, domestic, or colonial contexts.
Rather than focusing on individual pioneers however, the book illustrates the collaborations, networks, and material culture that underpin women’s productions. Through archival images, packshots, and exhibition photographs, you’ll discover objects that have never been displayed before and reveal the history of women’s creativity and innovation.
Katarina Serulus, Javier Gimeno-Martínez & Marjan Sterckx, Maison CFC, 2025, 352 pages, ills. colour & bw, 22 x 16,5 cm, paperback, English / French / Dutch
