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)
Magis Proust Italian Postmodern Outdoor Armchair by Alessandro Mendini, Blue
By Alessandro Mendini, Magis
Located in Varedo, MB
Designed by Alessandro Mendini, the Proust Armchair is one of the most celebrated icons of Italian Postmodern design. Originally created in 1978, this extraordinary armchair reinterp...
Plastic
Magis Proust Italian Postmodern Outdoor Armchair by Alessandro Mendini, White
By Alessandro Mendini, Magis
Located in Varedo, MB
Designed by Alessandro Mendini, the Proust Armchair is one of the most celebrated icons of Italian Postmodern design. Originally created in 1978, this extraordinary armchair reinterp...
Plastic
Magis Proust Italian Postmodern Outdoor Armchair - Alessandro Mendini Multicolor
By Magis, Alessandro Mendini
Located in Varedo, MB
Designed by Alessandro Mendini, the Proust Armchair is one of the most celebrated icons of Italian Postmodern design. Originally created in 1978, this extraordinary armchair reinterp...
Plastic
Magis Proust Italian Postmodern Outdoor Armchair by Alessandro Mendini, Red
By Alessandro Mendini, Magis
Located in Varedo, MB
Designed by Alessandro Mendini, the Proust Armchair is one of the most celebrated icons of Italian Postmodern design. Originally created in 1978, this extraordinary armchair reinterp...
Plastic
Magis Proust Italian Postmodern Outdoor Armchair by Alessandro Mendini, Black
By Magis, Alessandro Mendini
Located in Varedo, MB
Designed by Alessandro Mendini, the Proust Armchair is one of the most celebrated icons of Italian Postmodern design. Originally created in 1978, this extraordinary armchair reinterp...
Plastic
Magis Proust Italian Postmodern Outdoor Armchair by Alessandro Mendini, Orange
By Alessandro Mendini, Magis
Located in Varedo, MB
Designed by Alessandro Mendini, the Proust Armchair is one of the most celebrated icons of Italian Postmodern design. Originally created in 1978, this extraordinary armchair reinterp...
Plastic
Italian Postmodern Proust Geometrica Armchair Alessandro Mendini by Cappellini
By Alessandro Mendini, Cappellini
Located in Portland, OR
An iconic chair designed by Italian postmodern designer Alessandro Mendini (1931-2019). This wonderful postmodern work of art presented as a chair is in excellent condition and ready to display in your space. Proust was originally created in 1978 for the Palazzo dei Diamanti in Ferrara. It was immediately recognized as an icon of twentieth century design and one of the most renowned and essential reference points in the quest for form and aesthetic perfection. Cappellini inherited the piece in 1993 and today Proust Geometrica...
Fabric, Cotton, Upholstery, Foam, Beech, Paint
Original Proust Armchair by Alessandro Mendini, Italy
By Alessandro Mendini
Located in Asti, Piemonte
Historical piece of contemporary design, the Proust armchair with carved and hand painted wooden frame, fixed multicolored fabric hand- painted lining ...
Wood
Proust Geometrica hand-carved and handpainted Armchair by Alessandro Mendini
By Alessandro Mendini, Cappellini
Located in Brooklyn, NY
One of the most acclaimed design pieces in the world, the Proust armchair by Alessandro Mendini was launched in 1978, when it was used to furnish the Palazzo dei Diamanti, in Ferrara...
Beech
Proust hand-carved and handpainted Armchair by Alessandro Mendini for Cappellini
By Cappellini, Alessandro Mendini
Located in Brooklyn, NY
One of the most acclaimed design pieces in the world, the Proust armchair by Alessandro Mendini was launched in 1978, when it was used to furnish the Palazzo dei Diamanti, in Ferrara...
Beech
Lime Green Little Queen Of Love Kids Armchair by Moro, Pigatti
Located in Geneve, CH
Lime Green Little Queen Of Love Kids Armchair by Moro, Pigatti Dimensions: D 70 x W 76 x H 83 cm. SH: 32 cm. Materials: Polyethylene. Available in different color and finish options...
Other
Lime Green Queen Of Love Armchair by Moro, Pigatti
Located in Geneve, CH
Lime Green Queen Of Love Armchair by Moro, Pigatti Dimensions: D 98 x W 103,5 x H 112,5 cm. SH: 38 cm. Materials: Polyethylene. Available in different color and finish options. This...
Other
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.
