Alessandro Mendini was born in Milan in 1931. Through his work as an architect, designer, journalist, theorist and publisher, Mendini helped establish the Italian design sensibility on a global scale with a particular focus on neo-modern, avant-garde design as well as the crossover between art, design and architecture.
Mendini’s influential work spanned the arenas of graphics, furniture, interiors, architecture, stage design, writing and painting. He graduated from the Polytechnic University of Milan in 1959, and he began his career at the studio of artist-designer Marcello Nizzoli. He went on to become the publisher of the popular magazines Casabella (1970–76), Modo and Domus (each 1979–85).
In 1979, Mendini joined Ettore Sottsass and Michele de Lucchi as a partner at Studio Alchimia, a harbinger of the Memphis Group before he cofounded Domus Academy in 1982. In 1989, he and his brother Francesco established their architectural practice, Atelier Mendini, in Milan, where he worked until his death in February 2019. In recognition of his outstanding body of work, Mendini was awarded the Compasso d’Oro twice, in 1979 and 1981. He was also honored by the Architectural League of New York, made Chevalier des Arts et Lettres in France, and, in 2014, he was awarded the European Prize for Architecture.
Mendini’s work is included in the permanent collections of the Metropolitan Museum and the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Centre Pompidou in Paris, among others.
Find vintage Alessandro Mendini chairs, vases, table lamps and other furniture and decorative objects on 1stDibs.
(Biography provided by STUDIO CADMIUM)
21st Century Alessandro Mendini Murano Glass Small Vase Emerald Green
By Alessandro Mendini, Purho Murano
Located in Brembate di Sopra (BG), IT
21st century Alessandro Mendini, Petalo small vase, 6 petals, Murano glass, various colors Petal is a rounded vase that, thanks to some fine metal wires, when blown creates lobed sha...
Murano Glass
21st Century Karim Rashid Queen Vase Murano Glass Green - Ocean Blue
By Purho Murano, Karim Rashid
Located in Brembate di Sopra (BG), IT
21st century Karim Rashid Queen vase Murano glass various colors Queen designed by Karim Rashid is a curvaceous vase that combine regality with visual wit. Proposed in combination w...
Murano Glass
21st Century Karim Rashid Queen Vase Murano Glass Steel Grey and Emerald Green
By Purho Murano, Karim Rashid
Located in Brembate di Sopra (BG), IT
21st century Karim Rashid Queen vase Murano glass various Amber base Blue Top Queen designed by Karim Rashid is a curvaceous vase that combine regality with visual wit. Proposed in c...
Murano Glass
21st Century Alessandro Mendini Gemello Murano Vase Topaz
By Purho Murano, Alessandro Mendini
Located in Brembate di Sopra (BG), IT
21st Century Alessandro Mendini, GEMELLO transparent vase, Murano glass. Purho continues to search for products with complementary shapes with the pair of Gemello and Gemella vases ...
Murano Glass
21st Century Karim Rashid Large Bowl Murano Glass Emerald Green
By Karim Rashid, Purho Murano
Located in Brembate di Sopra (BG), IT
Kastle large bowl, Murano glass, by Karim Rashid, 21st century. Karim Rashid has conceived for Purho a mini collection of bowls and vases characte...
Murano Glass
21st Century Federico Peri Cilindro Large Glossy Vase Murano Glass Moss Green
By Federico Peri, Purho Murano
Located in Brembate di Sopra (BG), IT
Cilindro Large Glossy - Transparent Vase, Murano glass, by Federico Peri, 21st century. Cilindro is a vase from the Essentials collection des...
Murano Glass
Mendini X Venini vase Acco Green Murano Glass, Signed 1998, made in Italy
By Venini, Alessandro Mendini
Located in Venezia, IT
Venini Acco vase in White and Green Glass, model 706.70, produced in 1998 and accompanied by its original Venini box and paperwork. The Acco vase is the result of Venini’s collabora...
Blown Glass, Murano Glass
VENINI Opalino 90th vase Green Murano Glass, Signed 2012, handmade in Italy
By Venini, Paolo Venini
Located in Venezia, IT
Venini Opalino 90th anniversary vase, model 706.24, produced in 2012, signed on the base, and accompanied by its original Venini box and paperwork. Unusued and preserved in excellen...
Blown Glass, Murano Glass
Hand Blown Murano Goccia Vase in Green Small
Located in West Hollywood, CA
This elegant glass is an exquisite piece of Murano glass artistry, characterized by its distinctive teardrop shape. Originating from the renowned glassmaking island of Murano, Italy,...
Murano Glass
Hand Blown Murano Vase Goccia in Green Tall
Located in West Hollywood, CA
This elegant glass is an exquisite piece of Murano glass artistry, characterized by its distinctive teardrop shape. Originating from the renowned glassmaking island of Murano, Italy,...
Murano Glass
Hand Blown Murano Vase in Emerald Green
Located in West Hollywood, CA
This striking Murano vase is a masterpiece of exquisite glass craftsmanship, capturing the essence of sophisticated elegance with its unique pentagonal shape. The vase's striking eme...
Murano Glass
Hand-Blown Murano Supreme Vase in Emerald Green Tall
Located in West Hollywood, CA
The Hand-Blown Murano Supreme Vase in emerald green exudes timeless elegance, blending frosted and clear glass into a harmonious masterpiece. Its gently ribbed texture creates a dyna...
Murano Glass
Alessandro Mendini, Michael Graves, Ettore Sottsass and other design luminaries contributed to this unusual collection of porcelain wares representing a time capsule of late-20th-century decorative art.
Aided by photos taken of the maestro in his Milan studio, we honor the influential design talent who died last month at 87.
