Designer Desire: Ron Arad

Montage of Ron Arad designs

Justin was watching an episode of George Clarke’s Amazing Spaces programme on television recently (see below) that highlighted the Design Museum in Holon, Israel. It’s an incredible, one-of-a-kind building, designed in 2010 by Ron Arad.

 

 
 
 
 
 
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A post shared by Ron Arad (@ronaradstudio)

Ron Arad studied at the Jerusalem Academy of Art prior to emigrating to London in 1973. In the early 1980s, he founded his own practice in London and set up One Off Ltd with his partner Caroline Thorman, focusing on limited-edition objects.

Throughout his career to date, Arad (b. 1951) has created sculpture, furniture, jewellery and audio equipment using materials including glass, textile, metal, wood, ceramic, marble and plastic.  He is a master of design!

Designers accuse me of being an artist, artists accuse me of being an architect, and architects accuse me of being a designer. But it doesn’t bother me too much; that’s just the way the fragmented world works. Ron Arad

Arad has worked with many leading design firms such as Kartell, Vitra, Driade, Guzzini and Moroso. He has collaborated with Fiat, Swarovski, KENZO, Samsung, Adidas and many more.

His more famous works include the award-winning ‘This Mortal Coil’ bookshelf, ‘Big Easy’ chair and ‘Victoria and Albert’ sofa.

There are over 50 examples of his work in the V&A collection in London and at least half a dozen in MoMA in New York.

Portrait of Ron Aradcredit

Additional image credits:
Bukowskis | Phillips

Auction alert: Auction of Books for charity

David Gentleman's London by David Gentleman

There’ll be an online-only auction of books being sold on behalf of the Michael Sobell Hospice charity. It will be held by Chaucer Auctions on Wednesday 2nd November 2022 from 10am.

300 lots of vintage books on subjects such as art & design, fashion & jewellery, music and nature. We’ve selected 8 lots below that we’d love for our own library. Soft and hardback books by illustrators that we admire and have featured here on our blog, including David Gentleman and John Burningham.

Chaucer’s buyer’s premium stands at 19.95% with an added online commission of 3%.

We combine shipping on all lots. Single book £5.99 UK, £7.99 Europe, £9.99 ROW. We can ship a parcel up to 20kg which will take approx. 40 books in UK £12, EUROPE £39.99, ROW, £59.99

Online bidding is also available via Invaluable, Live Auctioneers and The Saleroom. Please check each of these websites individually to find any additional fees that they charge.

David Gentleman's London by David Gentleman

Lot 4: David Gentleman’s London by David Gentleman 1986 First Paperback Edition
Softback Book with 192 pages. Published by Weidenfeld and Nicolson Ltd some ageing good condition.
Estimate: £6 – £8

England by John Burningham

Lot 15: England by John Burningham 1992 First Edition Hardback Book
Published by Jonathan Cape Ltd some ageing good condition.
Estimate: £6 – £8

Industrial Design by Raymond Loewy

Lot 21: Industrial Design by Raymond Loewy 1979 First UK Edition Hardback Book
With 250 pages. Published by Faber and Faber Ltd some ageing good condition.
Estimate: £6 – £8

British Butterflies and Moths by W Furneaux

Lot 44: British Butterflies and Moths by W Furneaux 1923 Fifth Edition Hardback Book
With 350 pages. Published by The Library Press Ltd some ageing good condition.
Estimate: £6 – £8

Lots 103 & 104: A History Of Everyday Things in England 1733 – 1942 by M and C H B Quennell 1945 Third Edition Hardback Book
With 214 pages. Published by B T Batsford Ltd some ageing good condition.
A History Of Everyday Things in England 1066 – 1799 by M and C H B Quennell 1945 Eighth Edition Hardback Book
With 224 pages published by B T Batsford Ltd some ageing good condition.
Estimates: £6 – £8

The Beatles Illustrated Lyrics 2

Lot 265: The Beatles Illustrated Lyrics 2 Edited by Alan Aldridge 1971 First Edition Softback Book
With 123 pages. Published by Dell Publishing Co Inc New York some ageing good condition.
Estimate: £40 – £60

And Miss Carter Wore Pink by Helen Bradley

Lot 275: And Miss Carter Wore Pink by Helen Bradley 1971 First Edition Hardback Book
With 31 pages. Published by Jonathan Cape Ltd some ageing good condition.
Estimate: £6 – £8

Designer Desire: Pierre Forssell

Montage of Pierre Forssell metalware designs

Pierre Forssell (1925-2004) was a Swedish metalsmith who worked primarily in brass and gold plate. His output was very modern and masculine; pieces include candle-holders, wall & ceiling lamps, vases, cigarette lighters and an exquisite decanter and cup set (shown above).

From the 1950s to the 1970s, he designed many pieces for Skultuna (where he was Creative Director), some of which are still in production to this day.

Pierre Forssell also worked for Gense where he was designing cutlery including the relaunched Retro Collection (shown in the montage image above). First designed in the 1950s, the range includes salt & pepper shakers, cocktail forks (similar to the ‘spork‘) and salad servers. They are available on Amazon.

Vintage examples of his designs come up for sale on 1stDibs, eBay, Etsy, Pamona, Vinterior and on Scandinavian auction sites such as Bukowskis.

Portrait of Pierre Forssellcredit

Additional image credits:
1stDibs | Bukowskis

Designer Desire: Jacob Jensen

Various product designs by Jacob Jensen

Jacob Jensen (1926-2015) was a Danish industrial designer (the first in the country to have graduated in the subject).

He had a long-term relationship designing audio equipment for Bang & Olufsen for over a quarter of a century. Included in his output of almost 250 different designs is the record player Beogram 4000, portable radio Beolit 400, sound systems BeoMaster 500 and BeoMaster 1900 and the company’s first headphones, the U70.

He designed a range of products for other companies; from furniture to watches, telephones to kettles. He even created the popular Margrethe melamine bowls for Rosti (named after Queen Margrethe of Denmark). Our favourites though, are his little wooden figures – Vikings, Eskimos and… aliens! They can retail for hundreds of pounds!

In my view, constructing a fountain pen, writing a poem, producing a play or designing a locomotive, all demand the same components, the same ingredients: perspective, creativity, new ideas, understanding and first and foremost, the ability to rework, almost infinitely, over and over. That ‘over and over’ is for me the cruellest torture.
The only way I can work is to make 30-40 models before I find the right one. The question is, when do you find the right one? My method is, when I have reached a point where I think, ‘O.K., that’s it, there it is’, I put the model on a table in the living room, illuminate it, and otherwise spend the evening as usual, and go to bed. The next morning I go in and look at it, knowing with 100 percent certainty that I have 6-7 seconds to see and decide whether it’s right or wrong. If I look at it longer, I automatically compensate. ‘Oh, it’s not too high,’ and, ‘It’s not so bad.’ There are only those 6-7 seconds; then I make some notes as to what’s wrong. Finished. After breakfast, I make the changes. That’s the only way I know. Jacob Jensen

Portrait of Jacob Jensencredit

Additional image credits:

Artnet | MOMA | Pamona