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Alessandro Mendini Art

Italian, 1931-2019

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)

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Artist: Alessandro Mendini
Large Abstract Ceramic Tray Designed for Supreme 5.9 inches by 7.1 inches
Large Abstract Ceramic Tray Designed for Supreme 5.9 inches by 7.1 inches

Large Abstract Ceramic Tray Designed for Supreme 5.9 inches by 7.1 inches

By Alessandro Mendini

Located in Draper, UT

As part of its 2016 spring/summer accessories collection, Supreme has teamed up with Italian designer and architect Alessandro Mendini of the Atelier Mendini Milano design studio for a couple of decorative trays. The platters feature graphics custom-made for the downtown streetwear giant by the Italian designer, whose illustrious back catalog includes the golden tower...

Category

2010s Alessandro Mendini Art

Materials

Ceramic

Small Abstract Ceramic Tray Designed for Supreme
Small Abstract Ceramic Tray Designed for Supreme

Small Abstract Ceramic Tray Designed for Supreme

By Alessandro Mendini

Located in Draper, UT

As part of its 2016 spring/summer accessories collection, Supreme has teamed up with Italian designer and architect Alessandro Mendini of the Atelier Mendini Milano design studio for a couple of decorative trays. The platters feature graphics custom-made for the downtown streetwear giant by the Italian designer, whose illustrious back catalog includes the golden tower...

Category

2010s Alessandro Mendini Art

Materials

Ceramic

Alessandro Mendini, Glazed Ceramic Totem, Italy, circa 1980s
Alessandro Mendini, Glazed Ceramic Totem, Italy, circa 1980s

Alessandro Mendini, Glazed Ceramic Totem, Italy, circa 1980s

By Alessandro Mendini

Located in Madrid, MD

Totem designed by Alessandro Mendini (1931–2019), crafted in ceramic with a vibrant high-gloss glaze. The piece is composed of four independent sections, making it fully detachable a...

Category

20th Century Modern Alessandro Mendini Art

Materials

Porcelain

Alessandro Mendini, Glazed Ceramic Totem, Italy, circa 1980s
Alessandro Mendini, Glazed Ceramic Totem, Italy, circa 1980s

Alessandro Mendini, Glazed Ceramic Totem, Italy, circa 1980s

By Alessandro Mendini

Located in Madrid, MD

Totem designed by Alessandro Mendini (1931–2019), crafted in ceramic with a vibrant high-gloss glaze. The piece is composed of four independent sections, making it fully detachable a...

Category

20th Century Modern Alessandro Mendini Art

Materials

Porcelain

Ceramic Totem Sculpture Designed by Alessandro Mendini, Italy, Limited Edition
Ceramic Totem Sculpture Designed by Alessandro Mendini, Italy, Limited Edition

Ceramic Totem Sculpture Designed by Alessandro Mendini, Italy, Limited Edition

By Alessandro Mendini

Located in Madrid, MD

Elegant totem sculpture designed by Alessandro Mendini (Italian, 1931–2019), crafted in glazed ceramic. This collectible piece is signed and numbered 23/50 on the base, forming part ...

Category

Mid-20th Century Post-Modern Alessandro Mendini Art

Materials

Porcelain

Silver Black Totem Designed by Alessandro Mendini. Italy
Silver Black Totem Designed by Alessandro Mendini. Italy

Silver Black Totem Designed by Alessandro Mendini. Italy

By Alessandro Mendini

Located in Madrid, MD

Totem designed by Alessandro Mendini (1931-2019), crafted in ceramic with a high-gloss glaze. This unique piece is composed of four independent sections, allowing it to be fully deta...

Category

Mid-20th Century Post-Modern Alessandro Mendini Art

Materials

Porcelain

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This remarkably fluid terracotta bozetto was made in preparation for Pietro Pacilli’s most important public commission, a large-scale marble statue of San Camillo de Lellis for the nave of St Peter’s Basilica in Rome. Expressively modelled, this terracotta sculpture is a rare and significant work made by a major Roman sculptor at a transformative moment of European sculpture. Pacilli began his working life on the great Baroque decorative projects initiated in the seventeenth century, but he found success as a restorer of ancient sculpture working to finish antiquities for a tourist market, becoming an important figure in the emergence of an archaeologically minded Neoclassicism. Pacilli trained Vincenzo Pacetti and provided important decorative work for the Museo Pio-Clementino, at the same time he is recorded restoring some of the most celebrated antiquities excavated and exported during the period. 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Alessandro Mendini art for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Alessandro Mendini art available for sale on 1stDibs. You can also browse by medium to find art by Alessandro Mendini in ceramic and more. Not every interior allows for large Alessandro Mendini art, so small editions measuring 6 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Erika Dueck, Halinka Jakubowska, and Bean Finneran. Alessandro Mendini art prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $298 and tops out at $8,433, while the average work can sell for $348.

Questions About Alessandro Mendini Art

  • 1stDibs ExpertJanuary 10, 2025
    Alessandro Mendini is famous for his designs and writings. 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. His work is included in the permanent collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Centre Pompidou in Paris, among others. Explore a collection of Alessandro Mendini furniture on 1stDibs.