Alessandro Mendini

Born in Milan in 1931, Alessandro Mendini is an architect and designer. It is also a big design theorist. After studying architecture at the Polytechnic of Milan he became a leading member of the radical design, Italian movement that rethinking and theorizes instead of design and designer. Mendini becomes a formidable advocate of free design of any industrial pressure and supports this postmodern theory in magazines Casabella, Modo and Domus he heads turn. In the 70s, he is co-founder of Global Tools design school and working at Studio Alchimia with many Italian designers like Ettore Sottsass, Andrea Branzi and Michele De Lucchi.

Since the late 70s, Alessando Mendini is famous for its concepts of Re-Design and Design Banal, that convert humorously design classics by adding colors, ornaments or using new materials. His fabulous armchair Poltrona di Proust (1978) Re-Design is a symbol and illustrates the cheerful world full of fantasy Mendini.

Parallel to his creative work in the Atelier Mendini, he was also artistic director of Swatch watches, consultant for Philips, Swarovski and Alessi for whom he made the famous corkscrew Anna G. (1994). He has been awarded several international awards, including two Golden Compass.