Artist of the day: Artist of the Day, June 29, 2023: Marcel Wanders, a Danish product and interior designer [#1840]

Thursday, June 29, 2023

Artist of the Day, June 29, 2023: Marcel Wanders, a Danish product and interior designer [#1840]

Marcel Wanders (1963) was born in Boxtel, the Netherlands, and founded his office in 1995 in Amsterdam. His fame came in 1996 when he designed the Knotted Chair for Droog Design, an iconic armchair consecrated in the history of design when MoMA chose to include it in its permanent collection. Training at the Institute of the Arts in Arnhem in the Netherlands reinforced the talent of this visionary creative. He is now considered one of the most influential designers in the world. His office relies on the creative direction of Gabriele Chiave and an international design team of forty professionals. In almost thirty years, Studio Wanders has undertaken numerous collaborations in the fields of product and interior design, with private clients and leading brands like Alessi, B&B Italia, Baccarat, Barovier & Toso, Bisazza, Boffi, Christofle, Cappellini, Ceramiche Bardelli, Flos, Lladrò, Magis, Natuzzi, Poliform, Roche Bobois, Louis Vuitton, Swarovski, Vondom.

His production of almost two thousand projects is characterised by the unity of a bold and ironic style that combines artisan inspiration, a contemporary outlook, a human dimension and an industrial scope. In 2001, he founded Moooi with Casper Vissers. The brand name derives from the Dutch word "Mooi", linked to the concept of "beauty". The Moooi collections, which range from sofas to lamps, tables and wardrobes, reflect the eccentric and unconventional spirit that characterises Marcel Wanders' poetics. The chairs created for Moooi play a leading role in his vast production. Among the most successful are the V.I.P. Chair, designed for the Hanover Expo in 2000; the Carbon Chair, in carbon fibre created in 2004 in collaboration with Bertjan Pot; and the Monster Chair, a soft seat in black synthetic leather produced in 2014.

In 2005, he developed Lute Suites with chef Peter Lute, creating the first "all over city suites" hotel in Amsterdam - seven suites in seven 17th century cottages all overlooking the Astel River. Numerous projects are dedicated to hotels and restaurants, such as the interiors of Blits in Rotterdam, Thor at the Hotel on Rivington in New York and the Mondrian in Doha. The contract world is an opportunity for Wanders to materialise his dreamlike language, which interprets design as a romantic and human-centred project, respecting the past and cultural differences.

Wanders' most successful products include the Sky Garden lamp for Flos; the Circus tableware collection for Alessi; the Pebbles chairs for Bisazza; the Gentlemen Collection for Poliform; the Calliope chandelier collection for Wonderglass; and The Parents Collections series of children's furniture for Cybex. In addition to MoMA, his works are celebrated in the Centre Pompidou in Paris, V&A Museum in London, Museum of Arts and Design, New York, Pinakotheke der Moderne in Munich, Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, Central Museum in Utrecht.

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