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Model 653 | Artifort 1972
Photo: Jan Versnel
Model 656 | Artifort 1971
Model 416-3 | Artifort 1960
‘ Kho Liang Ie can be described as a global creative far
ahead of his time’ describes Eng Bo Kho, his son and
the conservator of the Kho Liang Ie Archives.
Kho Liang Ie has been one of the most important influencers and
protagonists of the Artifort heritage. From the late 1950s when he was
assigned as artistic director and designer for Artifort he slowly but surely
formed and moulded the Artifort image up to it’s heyday in the mid 1970s.
Only to be stopped by his untimely death at the young age of 47.
Artifort and Kho Liang Ie introduced outspoken designs and together
ensured that the name Artifort became a huge success internationally,
both with architects and lovers of design. In 1959, Kho Liang Ie recruited
the French designer Pierre Paulin, who introduced new techniques and
constructions, and later the English designer Geoffrey D. Harcourt RDI.
He also designed a new logo and corporate identity for Artifort with
Harry Sierman.
‘My father would fly every Friday from Amsterdam to Maastricht to oversee
the complete operations of Artifort, from brochures and photography to
the designs of furniture and the exhibition stands’, explains Eng Bo Kho.
‘With his great vision on the new developments of furniture and his strong
international contacts Kho Liang Ie made Artifort into a real global player.’
But his influence was not solely directed at Artifort. As an accomplished
interior designer and architect he designed the world famous interiors of
Amsterdam Airport Schiphol in 1967 (shown on the left page) and the
Lijnbaan Cinema in Rotterdam in 1971, to mention a few.
Kho Liang Ie:
A Visionary
Ahead
of his Time
Artifort Heritage Collection
