Richard Sapper

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Richard Sapper (born May 30, 1932 in Munich ; † December 31, 2015 in Milan ) was a German industrial designer and professor living in Milan, Italy .

He is considered one of the most important designers of his generation. The design of the products he designed is characterized by a synthesis of innovations and clear design language and is often humorous and surprising. Sapper has received numerous international awards, including the prestigious Compasso d'Oro and the Lucky Strike Designer Award from the Raymond Loewy Foundation eleven times . The products he designed are represented in the permanent collections of many museums around the world, such as the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London .

Life

Sapper started his career as a designer in the Mercedes-Benz styling department . In 1958 he moved to Milan, where he initially joined the office of the architect Gio Ponti and then worked for the design department of the renowned La Rinascente department store . In 1959, Sapper began working with the Italian architect and designer Marco Zanuso , which lasted 18 years until 1977. From 1959 Sapper and Zanuso worked as consultants for Brionvega , an Italian electrical company, in order to be able to hold their own against devices from Japanese and German manufacturers through a distinctive design of the products. Together they designed a range of radios and televisions that have become design icons. Among the most significant designs are the rounded, compact and portable Doney 14 (1962), the first television that only worked with transistors, and the TS502 radio (1965), a rectangular box with hinges that reveals loudspeakers and control buttons when opened. The sculptural minimalism of the two designers is evident in the design for the compact Grillo folding telephone, which they created for Siemens and Italtel in 1965. Grillo was the first phone with an opening mouthpiece and thus became the forerunner of the clamshell design of the clamshell phones . In 1964, Sapper and Zanuso designed the K1340 for Kartell, a very light and stackable children's chair and at the same time the first chair made entirely from plastic.

At the beginning of his self-employment in 1959, Sapper designed the Static table clock for Lorenz, which earned him the first Compasso d'Oro and is still in production today.

Tizio desk lamp.  On a cylindrical base, a three-part, movable frame made of black metal struts, balanced with counterweights, at the upper end a halogen lamp pointing downwards.
A special feature of the Tizio desk lamp are the metal struts of the frame, which are used as electrical conductors and replace cabling. In addition, the lamp can be adjusted in any position by the counterweights, a weight compensation by z. B. Tension springs as in other desk lamps are thus superfluous.

In 1972, Sapper designed the Tizio desk lamp for the lighting manufacturer Artemide . This was not only one of the first low-voltage halogen lights, but it also doesn't require any cabling, as the power required for operation is conducted through the arms of the frame. The Tizio has become one of the most famous cult objects and remains one of the best-selling lights ever produced. In addition, the lamp has received several awards for its design and has been included in the collections of the New York museums, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Museum of Modern Art .

Sapper also created other design classics, for example a stopwatch series for Heuer 1976, the Sapper Chair office chairs for Walter Knoll in 1979 and the Nena folding chair for B&B Italia in 1984.

In 1978 Alessi commissioned Sapper to design the first product in a long series, the 9090 espresso machine. This was followed by the Bollitore kettle with double-tone pipe in 1984, the Bandung teapot in 1990 , the Coban 1997 espresso machine , the Todo 2006 cheese grater and many others. The Cintura di Orione cookware series for Alessi was conceived in 1986 and 2009 in collaboration with chefs such as Roger Vergé , Pierre and Michel Troisgros and Alain Chapel.

In 1980, Sapper became a senior industrial design consultant at IBM and began designing numerous laptops , including the first ThinkPad (700C) in 1992. Sapper broke with the pearl-gray machine tradition the company had previously preferred. Instead, he designed a simple and elegant black rectangular box inspired by the proportions of a classic cigar box. A small red button on the keyboard, the TrackPoint , is used to control the cursor . In 2008, Sapper was a design consultant for the ThinkPad brand from Lenovo , which acquired the PC division from IBM in 2005.

Throughout his career, Sapper has shown a keen interest in transportation issues. He has worked with Fiat SpA on experimental cars, particularly the development of pneumatic bumpers, and with Pirelli on the development of pneumatic structures. In 1972 he founded a working group with the architect Gae Aulenti to study new urban transport systems. He developed this theme further in the context of an exhibition at the XVI Triennale in Milan in 1979. There he presented a project for a bus for FIAT, which enabled passengers to stow bicycles in a special rack. A milestone of this work was the design of the zoom bike . This ultra-light bicycle was equipped with technologies known from aircraft construction and could be folded like an umbrella so that it can be stowed in a trunk.

Sapper's customers included Alessi , Artemide , B&B Italia, Castelli, Heuer , IBM , Kartell, Knoll, Lenovo , Lorenz, Magis, Molteni Unifor and Pirelli .

Teaching

From 1986 to 1998, Sapper held the chair for industrial design at the Stuttgart Art Academy . 1985–1986 he was visiting professor at Yale University , 1986 at the University of Applied Arts Vienna . He also taught at the University of Beijing , the Royal College of Art in London, the Domus Academy in Milan and the University of Buenos Aires in the 1990s . In 1995, Sapper said of his teaching at the Stuttgart Academy:

In order to give the students an insight into the enormous range of what can be understood by an industrial product, completely different tasks are set from semester to semester, which guarantee a new adventure each time. The students try to go from a pipe dream to sketches, research, discussions, changes, pre-models, corrections, failures, total new beginnings, to come to a solid object that can be used or industrially manufactured by the end of the semester. The actual value of this work cannot be measured in terms of the result, but in the insight into the process of creative development that every student works out for himself and gains with each new task.
The teaching method in our department - a mixture of lecture, questioning, discussion, drawing and explanation, example and provocation - is intended to educate the students to recognize both the possibilities and their limits for themselves, it should give them courage and at the same time their ability to Arouse self-criticism.
This can only be achieved in close cooperation between the lecturer, assistant and student, in a trusting and open-minded atmosphere of cooperation both within the class community and between the members of the teaching staff and the students
. "

Work (selection)

Radio.  Red plastic cube with an edge length of about 15 centimeters, unfolded.  The black cut surfaces are visible and show a loudspeaker on the left and the radio controls (buttons and dials) on the right.  On the right a half-extended telescopic antenna.
Folding radio for Brionvega , here the TS 522 retro model from 2004
Whistling kettle made of polished stainless steel, cylindrical below, hemispherical above.  Quarter-circle-shaped handle made of black plastic, brass-colored flute with two pipes, lying next to each other like organ pipes.
Flute kettle
9091 (Bollitore) for Alessi, 1983
Notebook.  Box-shaped housing made of beige plastic, behind the keyboard the slots for two floppy disk drives, behind it a narrow screen folded up.  A narrow printer of the same height is docked at the back.
Notebook 5140 for IBM, 1985
  • 1960 - Static table clock for Lorenz (awarded: Compasso d'Oro )
  • 1962 - Doney television for Brionvega (awarded: Compasso d'Oro)
  • 1963 - Plastic chair K-1340 for Kartell (with Marco Zanuso ) (awarded with: Compasso d'Oro)
  • 1963 - Lambda chair for Gavina
  • 1964 - Foldable plastic radio TS 502 for Brionvega (with Marco Zanuso)
  • 1964 - Woodline armchair for Arflex (also together with Marco Zanuso)
  • 1966 - Folding telephone Grillo for Siemens (awarded with: Compasso d'Oro)
  • 1965 - Algol television set for Brionvega
  • 1969 - Black 12 TV for Brionvega
  • 1971 - Radio Match for Telefunken
  • 1972 - Tizio halogen lamp for Artemide (awarded: Compasso d'Oro, iF Product Design Award )
  • 1973 - Genia bookcase for B&B Italia
  • 1974 - Mini-timer for Italora
  • 1975 - Aretusa ceiling lamp for Artemide
  • 1975 - Tantalo table clock for Artemide
  • 1978 - Microsplit stopwatch for Heuer
  • 1979 - Espresso machine 9090 for Alessi (awarded: Compasso d'Oro (1979), Design Plus (1983))
  • 1979 - Sapper Collection office chair series for Knoll International (awarded: Bundespreis Die gute Form)
  • 1982 - Coffee and tea service for Alessi
  • 1983 - Kettle 9091 (Bollitore) for Alessi
  • 1984 - Nena armchair for B&B Italia
  • 1985 - Laptop 5140 for IBM (awarded: Die gute Industrieform IF Award)
  • 1986 - From 9 to 5 desk system for Castelli (awarded: Compasso d'Oro)
  • 1987 - La Cintura di Orione cookware for Alessi
  • 1987 - Uri-Uri wristwatch for Alessi
  • 1988 - Argo office lighting system for Artemide (awarded: Die gute Industrieform IF Award)
  • 1988 - System 26 office chair series for Comforto
  • 1989 - Secretary Secretaire for Molteni Unifor (awarded: Die gute Industrieform IF Award)
  • 1991 - Motor vehicle Axelsystem for Hurth-Axle (awarded with: Compasso d'Oro)
  • 1991 - Astarte lamp for Artemide
  • 1992 - Thinkpad 700 C laptop for IBM
  • 1992 - Bandung teapot for Alessi
  • 1995 - RS01 table set for Alessi
  • 1995 - RS02 stackable trays for Alessi
  • 1996 - Laptop ThinkPad 701 for IBM (awarded: Die gute Industrieform IF Award)
  • 1996 - Kyron suspension lamp for Artemide
  • 1997 - Cobàn coffee machine for Alessi (awarded: Compasso d'Oro, Die gute Industrieform IF Award)
  • 1998 - Aida stacking chair for Magis
  • 1998 - Orbiter office lighting system for Siemens - Siteco
  • 1999 - Laser door handle for Olivari
  • 2000 - Computer Netvista X40 for IBM (awarded: International Design Excellence Award)
  • 2000 - Foldable Zoombike for Elettromontaggi (awarded with: Compasso d'Oro)
  • 2001 - Computer Netvista X41 for IBM (awarded: International Design Excellence Award)
  • 2001 - Aida folding table for Magis
  • 2002 - Espresso cup RS07 for Alessi
  • 2002 - Computer 1560 for IBM
  • 2003 - Dialog 1 ballpoint pen for Lamy
  • 2003 - Meta cabinet system for robots
  • 2004 - Todo cheese grater for Alessi
  • 2005 - Halley LED light for Lucesco (awarded: NeoCon Gold Award)
  • 2006 - Espresso coffee machine ARS09 for Alessi
  • 2007 - Laptop ThinkPad Reserve Edition for Lenovo
  • 2007 - Tosca stacking chair for Magis
  • 2008 - Kitchen knife and stand La Cintura di Orione for Alessi
  • 2009 - Steak knife and stand La Cintura di Orione for Alessi
  • 2010 - Sapper Collection computer monitor arm system for Knoll
  • 2012 - Tonga pepper mill for Alessi
  • 2012 - Computer monitor arm system XYZ for Knoll
  • 2013 - Laptop ThinkPad X1 Carbon for Lenovo

Awards

Richard Sapper's designs have been awarded numerous internationally important prizes. He has received the Italian Compasso d'Oro (Golden Circle) design award and the German iF Product Design Award , twice the German Gute Form Award (1969 and 1983), two gold medals at the Biennale for Industrial Design in Ljubljana (1973 and 1979) and in 1992 the Lucky Strike Designer Award from the Raymond Loewy Foundation. Since 2001 he has been a member of the Berlin Academy of the Arts . In 2005, the magazine Architektur & Wohnen awarded him the title “Designer of the Year 2005”.

In 2009, Sapper was honored as a “designer personality” by the German Design Council as part of the design award of the Federal Republic of Germany . In 2010 he received an honorary doctorate from the University of North Carolina , and in 2012 he received the Cross of Merit 1st Class of the Federal Republic of Germany.

Sapper was an Honorary Fellow of the British Royal Society of Arts .

The New York Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) and the Philadelphia Museum of Art are honoring Sapper with the inclusion of some of his designs in their permanent exhibition.

literature

  • Jonathan Olivares: Richard Sapper . Phaidon, New York, London 2016.
  • Michael Webb: Richard Sapper. Chronicle Books, San Francisco 2002.
  • Uta Brandes : Richard Sapper. Tools for Life. Steidl Verlag, Göttingen 1993.
  • Hans Höger : Tizio Light by Richard Sapper. Form publisher, Hamburg 1997.
  • Siegfried Gronert: The 9090 Cafetiere by Richard Sapper. Form publisher, Hamburg 1998.
  • Richard Sapper, Michael Horsham: The International Design Yearbook 1998. Laurence King, London 1998.

Individual evidence

  1. Christopher DeSantis: German Industrial Designer Richard Sapper Dies at 83. In: contractdesign.com , January 4, 2016 (English).
  2. Product designer Richard Sapper has died. In: Die Welt , January 8, 2016.
  3. a b c d e f g h i j k l m Michael Webb: Richard Sapper , Chronicle Books, San Francisco, 2002.
  4. a b c d e f g Steve Hamm: Richard Sapper: Fifty years at the Drawing Board. In: Bloomberg Businessweek , January 9, 2008.
  5. a b c d Stephan Ott: Richard Sapper: You have to rely on your instinct. In: Form , May / June, 2009.
  6. a b c d e f Roberto Sambonet: Richard Sapper - 40 progetti di Design , Artemite litech, Milan, 1988.
  7. a b c Uta Brandes : Richard Sapper: Tools for Life , Steidl Verlag , Göttingen, 1993.
  8. ^ A b Hans Höger : (1997) The Tizio-Light by Richard Sapper , Birkhäuser Verlag , Basel, 1997.
  9. ^ Tizio in the Metropolitan Museum of Art
  10. ^ Tizio in the Museum of Modern Art
  11. ^ Richard Sapper and the Lenovo ThinkPad X300 . In: lenovovideolibrary.com . February 26, 2008. Accessed December 31, 2013.
  12. ↑ In 1986 he was appointed full-time professor to head the "industrial design class newly formed within the product design diploma course": Wolfgang Kermer : data and images on the history of the State Academy of Fine Arts Stuttgart . Stuttgart: Edition Cantz, 1988 (= improved reprint from: The State Academy of Fine Arts Stuttgart: a self-portrayal . Stuttgart: Edition Cantz, 1988), o. P. [17].
  13. ^ The State Academy of Fine Arts Stuttgart . Realized by students of the class Hans-Georg Pospischil. Illustrations: Heinz Edelmann . Stuttgart: State Academy of Fine Arts Stuttgart, 1995, p. 57. - The spelling of the text according to the template.
  14. a b [1]
  15. Richard Sapper. In: Academy of the Arts Berlin .
  16. Design Award 2009: The Winners ( Memento of the original from March 3, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.designpreis.de
  17. BAnz AT November 22, 2012 B1

See also

Web links

Commons : Richard Sapper  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Article about Richard Sapper

Product photos