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Feb 16 - Feb 23,2003 |
Exacting Design Without Pretence
Designer Antonio Citterio's work among best of his generation
By Mark Curtis
Originally Published: 2003-02-02
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Antonio Citterio’s famous chair
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With weight given to style over substance in so many creative fields, it's always reassuring when substance shines through. Such is the case with the work of Italian architect and designer Antonio Citterio, whose hallmark over a 30-year career has been a focus on materials and an application appropriate to individual projects.
"If I have a style, it's news to me," said a self-effacing Citterio in a 2000 interview. That's not to say he doesn't sometimes find himself surrounded by style. The Milan-based designer has created shop interiors for Valentino and Cerruti in that Italian design centre and he has also designed high profile commercial interiors in London, Paris and New York.
Like all classically trained Italian designers, Citterio is equally adept at architecture, interior design, furnishings and industrial design. He followed up his acclaimed office seating system for Swiss manufacturer Vitra by designing the company's factory in Neuenburg, Germany. The steel pillar and beam construction is topped with a zinc sheeted roof which is intended to emulate local German architecture. In another ode to its surrounding environs, Citterio designed full length windows which allow for expansive views of the countryside.
Born in Meda in 1950, Citterio received his architecture degree from Milan's polytechnical university. He cites influences such as Charles and Ray Eames, Louis Kahn and Portuguese architect Alvaro Siza. Three years ago, Citterio opened a new downtown Milan office. The five-storey building features a street facade of Ceppo stone slabs and large windows framed in natural anodized aluminum.
Citterio has claimed the Compasso d'Oro, Italy's top design prize, on three occasions. His most recent selection came as a result of his series of trolleys and folding tables for the manufacturer Kartell. This series has also been honoured with permanent collection status at both the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Centre Pompidou in Paris. To many, Citterio's work is the embodiment of the accessible face of modern design - exacting yes, but also welcoming.
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