Alessandro Mendini
Encyclopedia
Alessandro Mendini is an Italian designer
and architect
. He played an important part in the development of Italian design. He also worked, aside from his artistic career, for Casabella
, Modo and Domus
magazines.
His design has been characterized by his strong interest in mixing different cultures and different forms of expression; he creates graphics, furniture, interiors, paintings and architectures and wrote several articles and books; he is also renowned as an enthusiastic member of jury in architectural competition for young designers, such as the DBEW competition
in South Korea or the Braun prize. He also teaches at the University of Milan
.
Currently he runs his own practice in Milan, the Atelier Mendini, together with his brother Francesco Mendini.
In the seventies he was one of the main personalities of the Radical design movement. In 1979 he joined the Studio Alchimia as a partner and here he worked with Ettore Sottsass
and Michele De Lucchi. In 1982 he co-founded Domus Academy, the first postgraduate design school.
As architect, he designed several buildings; for example the Alessi residence in Omegna
, Italy; the theater complex "Teatrino della Bicchieraia" in the Tuscan city of Arezzo; the Forum Museum of Omegna, a memorial tower in Hiroshima
, Japan; the Groninger Museum
in The Netherlands and the Arosa
Casino in Switzerland.
His work in product design was influential in the sense that it pushed the boundaries of what products could be. A notable example is his Lassú chair form 1974, a chair built on top of a pyramid structure, which forgoes conventional notions of function. Mendini was addressing the domestic object as a conduit for spirituality, an idea reinforced by his ritualised burning of the chair outside the office of Casabella
in 1975.
in 1979 and in 1982. He holds an honorary title from the Architectural League of New York
as well as the title of "Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres" from the French Republic.
Designer
A designer is a person who designs. More formally, a designer is an agent that "specifies the structural properties of a design object". In practice, anyone who creates tangible or intangible objects, such as consumer products, processes, laws, games and graphics, is referred to as a...
and architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
. He played an important part in the development of Italian design. He also worked, aside from his artistic career, for Casabella
Casabella
Casabella is an Italian architectural and product design magazine with a focus on modern, radical design. It includes interviews with the world's most prominent architects....
, Modo and Domus
Domus (magazine)
Domus is the name of two magazines, one published in Italy and one in the United States.* Domus is an Italian magazine, first published in 1928, which focuses on design and architecture. It is bilingual, with articles printed in both Italian and English....
magazines.
His design has been characterized by his strong interest in mixing different cultures and different forms of expression; he creates graphics, furniture, interiors, paintings and architectures and wrote several articles and books; he is also renowned as an enthusiastic member of jury in architectural competition for young designers, such as the DBEW competition
DBEW competition
The DBEW competition is an architectural competition, organized by the Hanssem corporation, a south-Korean furniture company, which has been held in Seoul from 2001 to 2005....
in South Korea or the Braun prize. He also teaches at the University of Milan
University of Milan
The University of Milan is a higher education institution in Milan, Italy. It is one of the largest universities in Europe, with about 62,801 students, a teaching and research staff of 2,455 and a non-teaching staff of 2,200....
.
Currently he runs his own practice in Milan, the Atelier Mendini, together with his brother Francesco Mendini.
Career
Ettore Sottsass
Ettore Sottsass was an Italian architect and designer of the late 20th century. His body of designs included furniture, jewellery, glass, lighting and office machine design.-Early career:...
and Michele De Lucchi. In 1982 he co-founded Domus Academy, the first postgraduate design school.
As architect, he designed several buildings; for example the Alessi residence in Omegna
Omegna
Omegna is a comune in the Province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 100 km northeast of Turin and about 13 km southwest of Verbania at the northernmost point of Lago d’Orta and traversed by the Nigoglia, the lake’s sole outflow.-History:The presence...
, Italy; the theater complex "Teatrino della Bicchieraia" in the Tuscan city of Arezzo; the Forum Museum of Omegna, a memorial tower in Hiroshima
Hiroshima
is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture, and the largest city in the Chūgoku region of western Honshu, the largest island of Japan. It became best known as the first city in history to be destroyed by a nuclear weapon when the United States Army Air Forces dropped an atomic bomb on it at 8:15 A.M...
, Japan; the Groninger Museum
Groninger Museum
The Groninger Museum is a museum of modern and contemporary art in Groningen, Netherlands.-Background:Although not as well known as other Dutch institutions of fine art, the Groninger Museum was founded in 1894...
in The Netherlands and the Arosa
Arosa
Arosa is a town and a municipality in the district of Plessur in the canton of Graubünden in Switzerland. It is both a summer and a winter tourist resort.-History:...
Casino in Switzerland.
His work in product design was influential in the sense that it pushed the boundaries of what products could be. A notable example is his Lassú chair form 1974, a chair built on top of a pyramid structure, which forgoes conventional notions of function. Mendini was addressing the domestic object as a conduit for spirituality, an idea reinforced by his ritualised burning of the chair outside the office of Casabella
Casabella
Casabella is an Italian architectural and product design magazine with a focus on modern, radical design. It includes interviews with the world's most prominent architects....
in 1975.
Awards
He has been awarded several international prizes, including the Compasso d'oroCompasso d'Oro
Compasso d'Oro is the name of an Industrial Design award originated in Italy in 1954 by the La Rinascente company from an original idea of Gio Ponti and Alberto Rosselli. From 1964 it has been hosted exclusively by Associazione per il Disegno Industriale . It is the first and most recognized award...
in 1979 and in 1982. He holds an honorary title from the Architectural League of New York
Architectural League of New York
The Architectural League of New York is a non-profit organization "for creative and intellectual work in architecture, urbanism, and related disciplines"....
as well as the title of "Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres" from the French Republic.
Further reading
- Alessandro Mendini - Museo di Omegna, in "Area" n. 45, July/Aug. 1999, pp. 126–129 Online version