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Moroso Presents The Big Easy: Ron Arad Retrospective
9.9.09 | New York, NY | To coincide with the current
retrospective, “Ron Arad: No Discipline” at MoMA in New York, Moroso is mounting a Ron Arad
focused exhibition of its own in its New
York store, 146
Greene Street. Opening September 14
and running four weeks, the Moroso exhibition traces the history of the twenty
year working relationship between Arad
and Moroso. The exhibition will include prototypes and edition pieces that are
in creative director Patrizia Moroso’s own personal collection.
In 1988, Patrizia Moroso sought out Ron Arad in his studio several times. She was surprised and excited to discover that this man, whom she considered mythical, knew of her and her firm. Arad, impressed by Moroso’s standard for craftsmanship and innovation, was similarly pleased to make the acquaintance. Thus a partnership was born to jump start Arad’s move from functional artwork to design for industrial production. The iconic 12 piece Spring Collection, which includes such classics as The Big Easy and Soft Heart, was introduced in 1991.
Over the years, the collaboration has seen the development of many designs, from Victoria and Albert (2000) to Three Skin and Ripple Chairs and No Waste table (2004) Misfits and Wavy (2007). Arad’s newest piece for Moroso, Do-Lo-Rez, will also be on display: the concept brings together the worlds of art, design and technology. It is a modern sofa whose unique aesthetic is created by soft, square-based rectangular- or cube-shaped modules of various heights and colors, arranged together and fixed to a base by steel pins. This seemingly simple product is extremely complex in constructional, structural and manufacturing terms. Do-Lo-Rez represents a double entendre combining a real woman’s name with a pun on “low res” imagery which is its virtual inspiration.
The Moroso/Ron Arad exhibition is especially personal for Patrizia, who has put on display many of her own Ron Arad originals. The chosen pieces are a combination of Ron’s early work and prototypes specifically related to his work for Moroso. On view for the first time to the US public, these include examples of Low Tilt and High Tilt, the first prototypes of the Big Easy, and several pieces that have never been realized in production.
About Ron Arad
Ron Arad was born in Tel Aviv in 1951, studying at the Jerusalem Academy of Art from 1971 until 1973 when he moved to London. He established One Off Ltd., a design studio, workshop and showroom in 1981 with Caroline Thorman in Covent Garden, London. His first success was with a range of furniture and interior structures in tube and cast iron fittings. Well-known pieces include the "Rover Chair", the vacuum-packed "Transformer" chair and the remote controlled "Aerial" light. Later work explored the use of tempered steel, first in the "Well-Tempered Chair" and later in the popular "Bookworm."
Arad’s work has been widely published in many design and architectural books and magazines worldwide, and is included in museums such as Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris, Metropolitan Museum of Art New York, Victoria & Albert Museum in London and Vitra Design Museum in Germany. He has a large number of architectural projects under his belt as well, such as the foyer of the Opera Theatre of Tel Aviv and the Belgo restaurants in London. Arad has also served as a professor at the Royal College of Art in London.
About Moroso
Moroso, founded over 50 years ago in Udine, Italy, continues to be a major player on the Italian and international design scene. Today, under the direction of Patrizia Moroso, the company maintains an investigative approach to design, collaborating with designers and artists from around the world. Moroso products celebrate the balance between technological innovation and old world craftsmanship. Moroso USA is headquartered at 146 Greene Street in New York City. For national distribution please call 800.705.6863, www.morosousa.com
In 1988, Patrizia Moroso sought out Ron Arad in his studio several times. She was surprised and excited to discover that this man, whom she considered mythical, knew of her and her firm. Arad, impressed by Moroso’s standard for craftsmanship and innovation, was similarly pleased to make the acquaintance. Thus a partnership was born to jump start Arad’s move from functional artwork to design for industrial production. The iconic 12 piece Spring Collection, which includes such classics as The Big Easy and Soft Heart, was introduced in 1991.
Over the years, the collaboration has seen the development of many designs, from Victoria and Albert (2000) to Three Skin and Ripple Chairs and No Waste table (2004) Misfits and Wavy (2007). Arad’s newest piece for Moroso, Do-Lo-Rez, will also be on display: the concept brings together the worlds of art, design and technology. It is a modern sofa whose unique aesthetic is created by soft, square-based rectangular- or cube-shaped modules of various heights and colors, arranged together and fixed to a base by steel pins. This seemingly simple product is extremely complex in constructional, structural and manufacturing terms. Do-Lo-Rez represents a double entendre combining a real woman’s name with a pun on “low res” imagery which is its virtual inspiration.
The Moroso/Ron Arad exhibition is especially personal for Patrizia, who has put on display many of her own Ron Arad originals. The chosen pieces are a combination of Ron’s early work and prototypes specifically related to his work for Moroso. On view for the first time to the US public, these include examples of Low Tilt and High Tilt, the first prototypes of the Big Easy, and several pieces that have never been realized in production.
About Ron Arad
Ron Arad was born in Tel Aviv in 1951, studying at the Jerusalem Academy of Art from 1971 until 1973 when he moved to London. He established One Off Ltd., a design studio, workshop and showroom in 1981 with Caroline Thorman in Covent Garden, London. His first success was with a range of furniture and interior structures in tube and cast iron fittings. Well-known pieces include the "Rover Chair", the vacuum-packed "Transformer" chair and the remote controlled "Aerial" light. Later work explored the use of tempered steel, first in the "Well-Tempered Chair" and later in the popular "Bookworm."
Arad’s work has been widely published in many design and architectural books and magazines worldwide, and is included in museums such as Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris, Metropolitan Museum of Art New York, Victoria & Albert Museum in London and Vitra Design Museum in Germany. He has a large number of architectural projects under his belt as well, such as the foyer of the Opera Theatre of Tel Aviv and the Belgo restaurants in London. Arad has also served as a professor at the Royal College of Art in London.
About Moroso
Moroso, founded over 50 years ago in Udine, Italy, continues to be a major player on the Italian and international design scene. Today, under the direction of Patrizia Moroso, the company maintains an investigative approach to design, collaborating with designers and artists from around the world. Moroso products celebrate the balance between technological innovation and old world craftsmanship. Moroso USA is headquartered at 146 Greene Street in New York City. For national distribution please call 800.705.6863, www.morosousa.com
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