Ron Arad

Design took a radical turn in the 1980s, deconstructing the rigid ideology of the Bauhaus – often with great humor. Avant-garde designers like Philippe Starck and Ron Arad brazenly borrowed from the “historical closet” of previous styles and created biomorphic forms with whimsical names like Arad’s Big Easy Red Chair, the After Spring Before Summer Chaise Lounge and the Empty Chair. These chairs posed the question, “What ought a chair to be?”

Design maverick Ron Arad offered some interesting answers. His early furniture combined materials associated with the high-tech style and the French objets trouve to produce poetic post-industrial “readymades.” His later ’80s designs, such as the Big Easy Series, were more refined and often involved costly labor-intensive techniques that identified the pieces as “art” furniture, winning Arad international attention and commissions from prominent manufacturers. Primarily known for chair design, Arad has also had important architectural commissions, including the interior of the Tel Aviv Opera House. Whether working on furniture or architecture, everything Arad does demonstrates his belief that design has a responsibility not only to utility but also to surprise and delight.

Arad studied at the Jerusalem Academy of Art and the Architectural Association in London before opening his architectural design office, One Off Ltd.