ALESSANDRO MENDINI

I was born and raised in Treviso. Surrounded by the Veneto countryside, I absorbed the times. Calm, but steady. The traditions and culture. Sometimes considered outdated but for me, strong and always present. Perseverance, patience and passion. Everything should be expected, sweaty and touched by hand. I face the charm of “ancient” materials that “smell” of tradition, celebrating the art and knowledge of those who can control them. I do not pursue the “immediate”, but I appreciate the wait. Thinking behind the action.
Architect Alessandro Mendini was born in Milan in 1931. He has been editor-in chief of the magazines Casabella, Modo and Domus.

Monographs on his individual work and his projects with the Alchimia group have been published in different languages.

He designs objects, furniture, concept interiors, paintings, installations and architecture. International collaborations include Alessi, Philips, Cartier, Swatch, Hermès and Venini. Alessandro Mendini is designer and image consultant to different types of companies, from Italy to the Far East. He is an honorary member of the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design in Jerusalem. In 1979 and 1981 he was awarded the Compasso d’Oro of design; in France he carries the title of Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres; he is the recipient of an honorary title from the Architectural League of New York and was awarded an honorary doctorate degree from the Milan Polytechnic. At the Universität für angewandte Kunst in Vienna, Mendini has worked as professor of design. He is an honorary professor at the Academic Council of Gangzhou Academy of Fine Arts in China.

His works are in many museums and private collections.

With his brother Francesco Mendini, he opened Atelier Mendini in Milan in 1989. They project industrial areas with buildings for commerce, offices, apartment hotels and houses.

All of Mendini’s different types of work – theoretic, written and design-oriented – are rooted in the crossroads between art, design and architecture.