Thread
Designer/Manufacturer
Mattia BonettiCirca
2018
Description
Working closely with the same ateliers for over fifty years, Bonetti and his team of master artisans use time honored techniques and high quality materials to create contemporary works of art with timeless elegance. Regardless of the material, be it metal, wood, or textiles, Bonetti creates pieces that exude both sophistication and playfulness, exemplifying the constant interplay between tradition and innovation in contemporary design.
Mattia Bonetti
Mattia Bonetti
Born in Lugano, Switzerland, in 1952, Paris-based artist and designer Mattia Bonetti has built a comprehensive body of work. Spanning from the traditional landscape of his native Ticino region, with its Swiss precision and conservative aesthetics, to the avant-garde and free spirit of the artistic community of Paris, Bonetti’s multicultural heritage has deeply informed his artistic vocabulary. His sculptural furniture and lights are contemporary expressions imbued with traditional references. Each embodies Bonetti’s defiant personality and disregard for the conventional boundaries set between functional and nonfunctional art.
The artist was initially introduced to design through his textile studies at the Centro Scolastico per l’Industria Artistica in Lugano. After graduating in 1972, Bonetti moved to Paris, where he explored his artistic expression through textile design and photography before venturing into furniture design in 1979. In 1980, Bonetti met his longtime creative partner French designer Elisabeth Garouste with whom he formed the esteemed design studio Garouste & Bonetti, and opened the referential Parisian gallery “En Attendant Les Barbares”. Often described as “Barbarian design” or “Neo-Baroque,” their work was characterized by their blend of prehistoric and primitive inspirations, unconventional materials, and imaginative designs, setting the pace for the cutting-edge Parisian design scene, and garnering worldwide attention for their innovative and sophisticated approach. Through their collaboration, Garouste & Bonetti broke the traditional design boundaries, pioneering what would later be recognized as “collectible design.”
Working closely with the same master artisans and ateliers since the beginning of his career, using time-honored techniques and high-quality materials, Bonetti creates works of art that exude timeless elegance while being playful and innovative.
The work of Mattia Bonetti is included in numerous public collections, including the Centre Pompidou in Paris, the Coo- per-Hewitt National Design Museum in New York, the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris and the Victoria & Albert Museum in London.
Mattia Bonetti
Born in Lugano, Switzerland, in 1952, Paris-based artist and designer Mattia Bonetti has built a comprehensive body of work. Spanning from the traditional landscape of his native Ticino region, with its Swiss precision and conservative aesthetics, to the avant-garde and free spirit of the artistic community of Paris, Bonetti’s multicultural heritage has deeply informed his artistic vocabulary. His sculptural furniture and lights are contemporary expressions imbued with traditional references. Each embodies Bonetti’s defiant personality and disregard for the conventional boundaries set between functional and nonfunctional art.
The artist was initially introduced to design through his textile studies at the Centro Scolastico per l’Industria Artistica in Lugano. After graduating in 1972, Bonetti moved to Paris, where he explored his artistic expression through textile design and photography before venturing into furniture design in 1979. In 1980, Bonetti met his longtime creative partner French designer Elisabeth Garouste with whom he formed the esteemed design studio Garouste & Bonetti, and opened the referential Parisian gallery “En Attendant Les Barbares”. Often described as “Barbarian design” or “Neo-Baroque,” their work was characterized by their blend of prehistoric and primitive inspirations, unconventional materials, and imaginative designs, setting the pace for the cutting-edge Parisian design scene, and garnering worldwide attention for their innovative and sophisticated approach. Through their collaboration, Garouste & Bonetti broke the traditional design boundaries, pioneering what would later be recognized as “collectible design.”
Working closely with the same master artisans and ateliers since the beginning of his career, using time-honored techniques and high-quality materials, Bonetti creates works of art that exude timeless elegance while being playful and innovative.
The work of Mattia Bonetti is included in numerous public collections, including the Centre Pompidou in Paris, the Coo- per-Hewitt National Design Museum in New York, the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris and the Victoria & Albert Museum in London.
