Press release -
70 Years of the Red Dot Design Museum: Anniversary Exhibition “70 Years of Design – Masterpieces Selected by Peter Zec”
On 5 October 2025, the Red Dot Design Museum Essen opened the anniversary exhibition “70 Years of Design – Masterpieces Selected by Peter Zec” with a festive matinee, exactly seventy years to the day after the first exhibition promoting design (“Permanent Exhibition of Attractively Designed Industrial Products”) was inaugurated at Villa Hügel. The show bridges the gap between the beginnings in 1955 and Red Dot’s international significance today. It illustrates how closely the history of design is intertwined with the development of business, culture and society.
Anniversary Exhibition
To mark the anniversary, the Red Dot Design Museum Essen is presenting a retrospective of its history with the exhibition “70 Years of Design – Masterpieces Selected by Peter Zec”. Curated by Professor Dr. Peter Zec himself, the show brings together more than 60 exhibits that have become personal milestones for him. The objects illustrate how design drives innovation and changes everyday life.
These include the Fiat Nuova 500 from 1957 (“The dream of freedom and our first car.”), the Sixtant SM 31 electric shaver from Braun (1962, “My first lesson in good design from my father.”), the EA 119 office chair by Ray and Charles Eames (1958, “The chair on which I wrote the book ‘Information Design’.”), the Tizio desk lamp by Artemide (1972, “My start in professional life.") and the first iPad (2010, “I thought it was completely unnecessary. Then I was proven wrong.”).
In a personal video tour, viewers get a first impression of the exhibition and the stories behind the exhibits.
Ceremonial Opening on 5 October
The exhibition was formally opened on 5 October 2025 with a matinee celebration. Jova Zec, Vice President of Red Dot, welcomed the guests and introduced the event with a few personal remarks.
The Lord Mayor of Essen, Thomas Kufen, then addressed the audience, emphasising the importance of the Red Dot Design Museum for the city and the international standing of the competition.
In an informative yet engaging lecture on the origins and development of the Permanent Exhibition, Professor Dr. Peter Zec, Founder and CEO of Red Dot, showcased the diversity of seven decades of design promotion. He combined reflections on Red Dot’s evolution since 1955 with personal insights that made tangible both the organisation’s journey and the role of design as a driving force for innovation and cultural exchange.
From Essen to the World
What began in 1955 in the post-war period with the “Permanent Exhibition of Attractively Designed Industrial Products” in Essen’s Villa Hügel developed over the decades into a world-class institution. A decisive turning point came in 1991 when Peter Zec took over the management. With the introduction of the Red Dot label in 1992 and the international opening of the competitions, he transformed a regional initiative into a global brand.
Today, with more than 20,000 entries annually from over 70 countries, the Red Dot Award is one of the largest and most prestigious design competitions in the world. Products from leading brands such as Apple, Sony, Braun, Porsche, Philips and Artemide bear the Red Dot seal – making it an international mark of quality and innovation.
With museums in Essen, Singapore and Xiamen, as well as exhibitions in major cities around the world, Red Dot has long been much more than a competition: it is a platform that brings design history to life and shapes the future. The Red Dot Design Museum in Essen, housed in the former boiler house of the Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex since 1997, is now the largest exhibition of contemporary design in the world.
You can read more about the history of Red Dot and the latest developments in the design competition here.
You can find more press pictures here: Download press pictures
Exhibition Overview
“70 Years of Design – Masterpieces Selected by Peter Zec”
7 October 2025 – 1 February 2026
Red Dot Design Museum, UNESCO World Heritage Site Zollverein, Essen, Germany
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The Red Dot Design Award is one of the most prestigious design competitions worldwide. Participants can submit entries in three disciplines: products, brands and communication projects, as well as prototypes and design concepts. Each year, a jury convenes for each award category to individually assess the submissions and subsequently decide on the awarding of distinctions.
The Red Dot Design Award has a nearly 70-year history: in 1955, a jury convened for the first time to evaluate the best designs of that era. In the 1990s, Red Dot CEO Professor Dr. Peter Zec developed the name and brand of the award.
