
Ronan Bouroullec
Ronan Bouroullec (born 1971) and Erwan Bouroullec (born 1976) have been working together for a little over ten years. Their collaboration is a permanent dialogue nourished by their distinct personalities and a shared notion of diligence with the intention of achieving balance and refinement of their ideas.
In 1997, they presented their Disintegrated Kitchen at the Salon du Meuble in Paris and were spotted by Giulio Cappellini, who gave them their first industrial design projects, notably the Lit clos (“Closed Bed”) and the Spring Chair. In 2000, Issey Miyake asked them to design a space for his new collection of A-Poc clothes in Paris. Subsequently, a decisive meeting with the chairman of Vitra, Rolf Fehlbaum, occurred, which resulted in the Bouroullecs’ conception of a new kind of office system, Joyn, in 2002. This was the beginning of a special partnership that has borne fruit in numerous projects, including Algues, the Alcove Sofa, the Worknest, the Slow Chair, the Vegetal, and L’Oiseau. Since 2004, the Bouroullecs have also been working with Magis, for whom they have designed two complete furniture collections, Striped and Steelwood, as well as additional projects such as the Baguette chair and the Central and Tambour tables. Additionally, they have worked on several types of textile wall systems, such as North Tiles and Clouds, in close collaboration with the brand Kvadrat. In 2010, they debuted two new collections for two new European companies: Ovale, a complete tableware collection for Alessi; and Axor Bouroullec, a comprehensive collection for the bathroom area for Axor Hansgrohe. In 2011, the Bouroullecs extended their array of partners and designed the Piani lamps for Flos, the Losanges rug for Nani Marquina, the Osso chair for Mattiazzi, and a collection of indoor/outdoor ceramic for Mutina.
Today, Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec design for numerous manufacturers, including Vitra, Kvadrat, Magis, Kartell, Established and Sons, Ligne Roset, Axor, Alessi, Issey Miyake, Cappellini, Mattiazzi, and more recently, Flos and Mutina. At the same time, they continue with their experimental activity, which has been essential to the development of their work at Galerie Kreo, Paris, where four exhibitions of their designs have been held between 2001 and 2012. They also embark on occasional architectural projects such as the Floating House (2006); the Camper stores in Paris, Copenhagen, and Rome (2009–2011); the Casa Camper Hotel’s restaurant, Dos Palillos, in Berlin (2010); and the Kvadrat showrooms in Stockholm (2006) and Copenhagen (2009).
Voted Designers of the Year at the Salon du Meuble in 2002, the Bouroullecs have received numerous other awards, including the Grand Prix du Design (Paris, 1998), the New Designer Award at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF New York, 1999), the Finn-Juhl Prize (Copenhagen, 2008), the Danish Design Award (Copenhagen, 2010) and the Designer of the Year award for Now! Maison & Objet (Paris, 2011). Additionally, the Facett collection (Ligne Roset) and the Worknest office chair both won the “Best of the Best” Red Dot Design Award, respectively, in 2005 and 2008. In 2009, the Vegetal chair won the ICFF award for outdoor furniture and the Steelwood Chair won the Compasso d’Oro in 2011.
The Bouroullecs’ designs are part of the collections of select international museums, such as the Musée National d’Art Moderne – Centre Pompidou and the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris; The Museum of Modern Art, New York; The Art Institute of Chicago: the Design Museum, London; and the Museum Boijmans van Beuningen, Rotterdam.
Several exhibitions have been devoted to the Bouroullecs’ designs. Their work has been showcased at the Design Museum, London (2002), at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles; the Museum Boijmans van Beuningen, Rotterdam; and La Piscine, Roubaix (all in 2004); at the Villa Noailles, Hyères (2008); at the Grand Hornu, Belgium (2009); and at the architecture center Arc en Rêve, Bordeaux, and the Victoria and Albert Museum (2011). In 2012, two exhibitions focused on their work: “Album” at the Vitra Design Museum, and “Bivouac,” a major solo exhibition at the Centre Pompidou-Metz, traveling to the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago from October 20, 2012 to January 20, 2013.
A new comprehensive monograph on the Bouroullecs’ designs was published in spring 2012: Works (Phaidon Press) and their work is also the subject of two earlier books, Ronan et Erwan Bouroullec—Catalogue de Raison (Paris: Images Modernes/Kreo, 2002) and Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec, (London and Paris: Phaidon Press, 2008, 2003). The Bouroullecs recently designed “Cercles,” an iPad application showcasing formal studies, freehand drawings, and sketches in a very intuitive way.
Announcements
Louis Kahn: Architecture as Philosophy by John Lobell
Louis Kahn: Architecture as Philosophy
By John Lobell
Publisher: The Monacelli Press
Published: June 2020
Noted Louis I.Kahn expert John Lobell explores how Kahn’s focus on structure, respect for materials, clarity of program, and reverence for details come together to manifest an overall philosophy.
Our Days Are Like Full Years: A Memoir with Letters from Louis Kahn by Harriet Pattison
Our Days Are Like Full Years: A Memoir with Letters from Louis Kahn
By Harriet Pattison
Publisher: Yale University Press
Published: October 2020
An intimate glimpse into the professional and romantic relationship between Harriet Pattison and the renowned architect Louis Kahn. Harriet Pattison, FASLA, is a distinguished landscape architect. She was Louis Kahn’s romantic partner from 1959 to 1974, and his collaborator on the landscapes of the Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth, and the F.D.R. Memorial/Four Freedoms Park, New York. She is the mother of their son, Oscar-nominated filmmaker Nathaniel Kahn.
Louis I. Kahn: The Nordic Latitudes
Louis I. Kahn: The Nordic Latitudes
By Per Olaf Fjeld and Emily Randall Fjeld
Publisher: University of Arkansas Press
Published: October 4, 2019
A new and personal reading of the architecture, teachings, and legacy of Louis I. Kahn from Per Olaf Fjeld’s perspective as a former student. The book explores Kahn’s life and work, offering a unique take on one of the twentieth century’s most important architects. Kahn’s Nordic and European ties are emphasized in this study that also covers his early childhood in Estonia, his travels, and his relationships with other architects, including the Norwegian architect Arne Korsmo.
Reading Graphic Design History: Image, Text, and Context by David Raizman
Reading Graphic Design History: Image, Text, and Context
By David Raizman
Publisher: Bloomsbury Visual Arts
Published: December 2020
An innovative approach to graphic design that uses a series of key artifacts from the history of print culture in light of their specific historical contexts. It encourages the reader to look carefully and critically at print advertising, illustration, posters, magazine art direction, and typography, often addressing issues of class, race, and gender.
David King: Designer, Activist, Visual Historian by Rick Poynor
David King: Designer, Activist, Visual Historian
By Rick Poynor
Publisher: Yale University Press
Published: September 2020
A comprehensive overview of the work and legacy of David King (1943–2016), whose fascinating career bridged journalism, graphic design, photography, and collecting. King launched his career at Britain’s Sunday Times Magazine in the 1960s, starting as a designer and later branching out into image-led journalism, blending political activism with his design work.
Teaching Graphic Design History by Steven Heller
Teaching Graphic Design History
By Steven Heller
Publisher: Allworth Press
Published: June 2019
An examination of the concerted efforts, happy accidents, and key influences of the practice throughout the years, Teaching Graphic Design History is an illuminating resource for students, practitioners, and future teachers of the subject.
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