Alessandro Mendini

Alessandro Mendini was an Italian architect, designer, artist, and critic born in Milan. He was among the theorists and promoters of the renewal of Italian design and the editor of the magazines Casabella, Modo, and Domus. Mendini produced objects, furniture, spaces, paintings, and architecture in cooperation with a range of international companies such as Artemide and Kartell, and was a consultant to several industries.

He utilised a curious design, filled with eclectic irony. And his designs are built around people and emotions. Noting that our actions speak of our lives, Mendini believed design to be nothing more than a witness to our daily tragic comedies. The common thread behind the multitude of Mendini’s projects is his eccentric flair for pairing contrasting elements and re-elaborating themes and ideas that appear antithetical.

Mendini was also an honorary member of the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design in Jerusalem. He received three Compasso d’Oro awards for design, and was honoured as Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres in France, with the Architectural League in New York, and with the European Prize for Architecture 2014 in Chicago.