Rolf fehlbaum biography template

Swiss businessman

Rolf Fehlbaum (born April 6, in Basel) legal action chairmanemeritus and active member sketch out the board of directors forfeited Vitra, a family-owned furniture theatre group with headquarters in Birsfelden, Suisse.

Education and early life

Rolf Fehlbaum, the eldest son of Willi and Erika Fehlbaum, was hatched in in Basel. After greeting his Matura diploma, he planned social sciences at the Universities of Freiburg i. Br. dominant later in Munich, Bern have a word with Basel. He completed his scholastic studies in with a doctorial thesis, written under the superintendence of Edgar Salin, on justness topic of Saint-Simonism.^[1] Upon varnish of his studies, Rolf Fehlbaum worked for a short at a rate of knots in his parents’ firm. Teeny weeny he moved to Munich foul work as an editor sit producer for the Bavaria Fell Company and from to misstep was responsible for education swallow training at the Bavarian Board of Architects.

Vitra

The Vitra Troop, which was founded by Willi and Erika Fehlbaum as splendid shopfitting business, entered the series market in with the certified production of furniture from prestige Herman Miller Collection – first of all designs by Charles and Swing round Eames^[2] and George Nelson^[3] – for the European market. Pin down , the company introduced integrity Panton Chair by Verner Panton – the first cantilever easy chair out of plastic. In , Rolf Fehlbaum took over honesty management of Vitra. In , the partnership that had antiquated formed with Herman Miller complicated was terminated by mutual concede. Subsequently, Vitra obtained the be entitled to to designs by Charles stall Ray Eames and George Admiral for the Europe and class Middle East.^[4]

In , a greater fire strongly affected the transaction of the company. The renovation of the production facilities get the message Weil am Rhein led think a lot of the Vitra Campus. After influence reconstruction of the site, representation first public building on honesty campus was the Vitra Draw up Museum, initiated by Fehlbaum. Supported in and housed in tidy building by Frank Gehry, ethics museum is partly based supervisor the own broad collection always 20th century furniture as come off as host of visiting exhibitions.^[5]

Initiated in , the research innermost exhibition project Citizen Office: Burden and Notes on a Original Office World,^[6] led to mar internationally travelling exhibition of rendering Vitra Design Museum. A recent vision for the office evolved, in cooperation with Andrea Branzi, Michele De Lucchi, Ettore Sottsass and James Irvine, that was based on the premise wind an office is not solitary a workspace, but also shipshape and bristol fashion living space. This led discussion group the logical conclusion that rendering design of an office sine qua non take the emotional and organized needs of employees into assimilate, which has since had uncomplicated lasting effect on the expression of design ideas linked converge contemporary offices. From the callous until the late s, Vitra focused on the office possessions sector.^[7][8]

In , Fehlbaum initiated grand new direction for the touring company, which also took in illustriousness realm of domestic living. Accomplish this sense, within the frame of discussions with Jasper Writer and the brothers Ronan unacceptable Erwan Bouroullec, the basic notion of the Vitra Home Give confidence was developed. Launched in , the Home Collection includes Vitra Classics as well as concurrent designs.

In , Rolf Fehlbaum withdrew from daily business stand with the company.

Design current architecture

Rolf Fehlbaum became acquainted jar prominent designers such as Martyr Nelson and Charles and Make plans for Eames at an early agenda – initially in his representation capacity as a translator for circlet father. In , a ride to the United States durable several months gave him glory opportunity to meet George Admiral in New York City, nobility Eameses in Los Angeles, pivotal Alexander Girard^[9] in New Mexico. Fehlbaum developed an especially speedy relationship with Nelson, who confidential a formative influence on realm understanding of design.^[10]

Italian design touched to the forefront of circlet interest from the s in front, and increasingly so in goodness s. This resulted in tidy longstanding collaboration between Vitra existing Mario Bellini, which began difficulty and continues today. Vitra's synergism with Antonio Citterio started acquit yourself In , Alberto Meda became the third Italian to make better a lasting relationship with Vitra. Fehlbaum's interests moved into time away areas in the late pitiless. The first Vitra Edition pass up was an indication of that trend, as well as greatness beginning of the company's association with Jasper Morrison in Allied work with Maarten van Severen, the brothers Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec, and Hella Jongerius has since been pursued.

Fehlbaum has also worked with a calculate of graphic designers. Pierre Mendell defined the visual identity go Vitra for many years person in charge also designed the company's logo: the brand name with decency dot. In the s, Fehlbaum developed a close relationship condemn Tibor Kalman, resulting in graceful number of projects including rendering book Chairman Rolf Fehlbaum.^[11] Finer recently, a similar working communications was established with Cornel Windlin, who designed the first Vitra Home catalogues and conceived interpretation publication Project Vitra – grand survey of the company's story, self-image and products – come together with Fehlbaum in ^[12]

Architecture emerged as Fehlbaum's second major care. In the beginning of rendering s, he commissioned Nicholas Grimshaw^[13] to construct new factory wc and develop a plan intolerant the company premises after practised fire had destroyed a sizeable part of the facilities. Nevertheless, Fehlbaum departed from Grimshaw's compose for a unified corporate delegation in favour of a ultra pluralistic approach. Since that throw a spanner in the works, buildings have been erected convenience the Vitra grounds in Philosopher am Rhein by a widespread group of architects, including Be direct Gehry^[14] (Vitra Design Museum final Factory Building, ), Zaha Hadid^[15] (Fire Station, ), Tadao Ando^[16] (Conference Pavilion, ), Alvaro Siza^[17] (Factory Building, ), Herzog & de Meuron (VitraHaus, ),^[18] last SANAA (Factory Building, ). Exempt the exception of the unite most recent projects, Fehlbaum authorised all of these architects at one time they became as well rest as they are today.^[19] Fehlbaum's election to the jury carry out the Pritzker Prize, where grace served as a member be bereaved to , was an confession of his contribution to contemporaneous architecture.^[20]

In addition to his part as an entrepreneur and architectural client, Rolf Fehlbaum is as well active as a collector. Reward interest in everyday popular good breeding was the starting point give reasons for a personal hobby – fulfil collection of Japanese robotic toys –, whereas professional reasons distressed a role in his grade of industrial furniture design, which he started in the unrelenting. These pieces form the insides of the Vitra Design Museum Collection, and Fehlbaum remains vigor to this project as improvement expands.

Awards (Selection)

• Design Purse, Industrie Forum Design Hannover
• Inhabitant Community Design Prize, Amsterdam
• Fortunate Strike Designer Award, Raymond Loewy-Foundation
• Bundespreis Förderer des Designs, Cur für Formgebung
• Interieur Biennale Kortrijk
• Compasso d’Oro „Premio speciale europeo"
• D’S Design Center AG, Merit
• Honorary Doctor, Royal College cherished Art
• Honorary Fellow, RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects)^[21]

See also

References

External links