The collaboration between Michael Graves and Alessi began in the late 1970s with the experimental Tea & Coffee Piazza project, aimed at identifying architectural talent capable of innovating the design of household objects. The common theme assigned to the designers, the tea and coffee service, served to translate their architectural language on a small scale. Graves revealed an extraordinary ability to blend diverse inspirations into a unique and recognizable code that had a great hold on the public, a quality confirmed by his later designs, starting with his first: the 9093 kettle.
Graves
Graves's personal formal language combines ideas taken from European tradition, Art Deco, American Pop Art and memories of pre-Colombian cultures. The American designer also has an ability to bewitch the general public like few other designers in the Alessi catalogue.
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Michael Graves
Born in Indianapolis in 1934, he taught architecture in Princeton from 1962, where he opened his own studio in the same years. In the 1970s, he was a member and co-founder of the "New York Five", a group of five post-modern architects. His works include the Portland Building and the Humana Building in Louisville, Disney's Dolphin and the Swan Hotel in Florida and the Denver Public Library. His style is characterised by both European traditions and American pop. He has received numerous international awards, including the Gold Medal of the American Institute of Architects. For Alessi, he created iconic objects such as the 9093 kettle. He passed away in 2015.
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