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)
Colored Mirror with an Irregular Shape in the Style of Ettore Sottsass
By Ettore Sottsass
Located in Bresso, Lombardy
Made with different colored mirrors, wood and metal. Limited production. This mirror is in excellent original condition and ready to become a piece in a home. . Measures: width 50...
Metal
Mirror from Fontana Arte with Square Metal and Mirrored Frame, Italy 1960s
By Fontana Arte
Located in Bresso, Lombardy
Made in Italy, 1960s. Made in mirror, glass and metal. It might show slight traces of use since it's vintage, but it can be considered as in perfect original condition and ready to ...
Metal
Postmodern Smoked Wall Mirror with a Triple Chrome-Plated Metal Frame, Italy
Located in Bresso, Lombardy
Made in Italy, 1970s. This mirror features a tripe chrome-plated metal frame and a smoked mirror. It might show slight traces of use since it's vintage, but it can be considered as ...
Chrome, Metal
Colored Mirror with Irregular Shape in the style of Ettore Sottsass, Italy 2010s
By Ettore Sottsass
Located in Bresso, Lombardy
Made with different colored mirrors, wood and metal. Limited production. This mirror is in excellent original condition and ready to become a piece in a home. The decorative objec...
Metal
Pair of Postmodern Black and Orange Wall Mirrors in the Style of Sottsass, 1980s
By Ettore Sottsass
Located in Bresso, Lombardy
Made in Italy, 1980s. These square mirrors feature an orange and black glass frame. They are vintage, therefore they might show slight traces of use, but they can be considered as i...
Glass, Mirror
Square Wall Mirror by Dino Cavalli with Ebonized Walnut Frame, Italy
By Dino Cavalli
Located in Bresso, Lombardy
Made in Italy, 1960s. It features a square ebonized walnut frame. This mirror is a vintage piece, therefore it might show slight traces of use, but it can be considered as in very go...
Mirror, Walnut
Gli Specchi Di Dioniso 3 Wall Mirror by Ettore Sottsass for Glas Italia IN STOCK
By Ettore Sottsass, Glas Italia
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Dioniso3 Gli Specchi di Dioniso wall mirror is from a collection of 6 wall mirrors in different shapes and sizes characterizes by polychromatic frames composed of elements in laminat...
Mirror
Glas Italia Gli Specchi di Dioniso 3 - Rectangular Wall Mirror - Ettore Sottsass
By Glas Italia, Ettore Sottsass
Located in Varedo, MB
Gli Specchi di Dioniso, designed by Ettore Sottsass for Glas Italia, is a collection of six wall mirrors distinguished by their vibrant and expressive character. Model 3 is a rectang...
Glass, Mirror
Glas Italia Gli Specchi di Dioniso 6 - Round Wall Mirror design Ettore Sottsass
By Glas Italia, Ettore Sottsass
Located in Varedo, MB
Gli Specchi di Dioniso, designed by Ettore Sottsass for Glas Italia, is a collection of six wall mirrors distinguished by their vibrant and expressive character. Model 6 is a round w...
Glass, Mirror
Mirror by Alessandro Mendini for Zabro, Italy, '85/'90s
By Alessandro Mendini, Zabro
Located in Vicenza, VI
Alessandro Mendini graduated in Architecture from the Milan Polytechnic in 1959. From the late 1970s he was among the leading figures in the renewal of Italian design. His work was d...
Wood
Glas Italia Gli Specchi di Dioniso 1 - Square Wall Mirror design Ettore Sottsass
By Glas Italia, Ettore Sottsass
Located in Varedo, MB
Gli Specchi di Dioniso, designed by Ettore Sottsass for Glas Italia, is a collection of six wall mirrors distinguished by their vibrant and expressive character. Model 1 is a square ...
Glass, Mirror
Specchio di Proust Mirror, by Alessandro Mendini for Glas Italia
By Alessandro Mendini
Located in Stamford, CT
A wismical multi colored mirror designed by Alessandro Mendini and produced by Glas Italia.
Glass
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.
