Vignelli, Massimo 1931-

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Vignelli, Massimo 1931-

PERSONAL:

Born January 10, 1931, in Milan, Italy; moved to the United States, 1965; son of Ettore and Noemi Vignelli; married Lella Elena Valle, September 15, 1957; children: Luca, Valentina. Education: Studied at Brera Academy of Art, Milan, 1948-1950; Politecnico, Milan, 1950-53; School of Architecture, University of Venice, 1953-57.

ADDRESSES:

Office—Vignelli Associate Designers, 130 E. 67th St., New York, NY 10021.

CAREER:

Graphic designer, corporate designer, book designer, exhibition designer, interior designer, furniture designer, and product designer. Lella and Massimo Vignelli Office of Design and Architecture, Milan, Italy, founder and principal, 1960-64; Unimark International, New York, NY, design director and cofounder, 1965-1971; Vignelli Associates, New York, NY, president and cofounder, 1971—; Vignelli Designs, New York, NY, chairman and cofounder, 1978—. Institute for Architecture and Urban Studies, New York, trustee, 1978—.

Exhibitions include: "Italy: The New Domestic Landscape," Museum of Modern Art, New York, 1972; "Knoll au Musée," Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris, 1972; "107 Grafici dell'AGI," Castello Sforzesco, Milan, 1974; "Design & Design," Associazione Disegno Industriale, Milan and Venice, 1979; "The Work of Lella and Massimo Vignelli," Parsons School of Design, New York, 1980; "Vignelli," Padiglione d'Arte Contemporanea, Milan, 1980; "Design since 1945," Philadelphia Museum of Art, 1983; "The Twentieth Century Poster," Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, 1984; "New Design for Old," Boilerhouse/Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 1986; "Lella and Massimo Vignelli, Recent Works," Ontario Art Gallery, Toronto, 1987; "Vignelli in Miami," Luminaire, Inc., Miami, 1987; "The Modern Poster," Museum of Modern Art, New York, 1988; "Graphic Design in America," Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, 1989-1990 (toured); "Design USA," United States Information Agency sponsored tour of the Soviet Union, 1989-1991. "Design: Vignelli," Academy of the Arts of the U.S.S.R., 1989 (toured ten European cities, 1989-93, ending at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris). Works included in permanent collections at the Museum of Modern Art, New York; Cooper-Hewitt Museum, New York; Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Philadelphia Museum of Art; Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Montreal; Israel Museum, Jerusalem; Die Neue Sammlung, Munich; Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe, Hamburg; Vitra Museum, Weil Am Rhein. Designs include: Boston Architectural Center, 1976; Kansas City Art Institute, 1978; and Art Center College of Design, Pasadena, 1979.

MEMBER:

American Institute of Graphic Arts, Industrial Designers Society of America, Architectural League of New York, Alliance Graphique Internationale.

AWARDS, HONORS:

Towle Silversmiths Fellowship, 1957; Moholy-Nagy Fellowship, Chicago Institute of Design, 1958; Compasso d'Oro, Italian Association for Industrial Design, 1964; Gran Premio Triennale di Milano, 1964; American Institute of Architects Industrial Arts Medal, 1973; New York Art Directors Club Hall of Fame Award, 1982; Gold Medal, American Institute of Graphic Arts, 1983; Excellence Award, Industrial Designers Society of America, 1983, 1985; Citation of Distinguished Contributions, National Associated Schools of Art and Design, 1983; Edwin F. Guth Memorial Award of Distinction, Illuminating Engineering Society of North America, 1983; Award of Design Excellence, Presidential Design Awards, National Endowment for the Arts, Washington, DC, 1984; Collaborative Award for Excellence in Design, Philadelphia Museum of Art, 1988; Interior Design Hall of Fame, 1988; Gold Medal for Design, National Arts Club, 1991; Fellowship of Excellence, Interior Product Designers, 1992; lifetime achievement award, Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum, 2003. Recipient of honorary doctorates, including Parsons School of Design, D.F.A., 1983; Pratt Institute, D.F.A., 1987; Rhode Island School of Design, D.F.A., 1988; Istituto Universitario di Architettura di Venezia, D.F.A., 1994; Corcoran School of Art, D.F.A., 1994; Art Center College of Design, D.F.A., 2000; Rochester Institute of Technology, 2002.

WRITINGS:

(With wife, Lella Vignelli) Design—Vignelli, Rizzoli (New York, NY), 1981.

(With Eric Larrabee) Knoll Design, H.N. Abrams (New York, NY), 1981.

(Editor) Hugh Newell Jacobsen, Hugh Newell Jacobsen, Architect, American Institute of Architects Press (Washington, DC), 1988.

(With Lella Vignelli) Design—Vignelli: Centre D'Art Santa Monica, Departament de Cultura Generalitat de Catalunya (Barcelona, Spain), 1991.

(Editor) Beth Dunlop, Arquitectonica, American Institute of Architects Press (Washington, DC), 1991.

(With Peter Laundy) Graphic Design for Non-Profit Organizations, American Institute of Graphic Arts (New York, NY), 1991.

Design is One, Images Publishing (Mulgrave, Victoria, Australia), 2004.

Vignelli from A to Z, Images Publishing (Mulgrave, Victoria, Australia), 2007.

The Grotto House, Rizzoli (New York, NY), 2007.

Also designer of books.

SIDELIGHTS:

Massimo Vignelli was born January 10, 1931, in Milan, Italy. He studied art, architecture, and design in Italy at the Brera Academy of Art in Milan, the Politecnico in Milan, and the School of Architecture at the University of Venice. Over the course of his studies, he became skilled as a graphic designer, corporate designer, book designer, exhibition designer, interior designer, furniture designer, and product designer. Vignelli married his partner, Lella Elena Valle, in 1957. Together they founded the Lella and Massimo Vignelli Office of Design and Architecture in Milan, and later Unimark International, Vignelli Associates, and Vignelli Design in New York. Vignelli is best known for his work creating both graphic and corporate identity programs, for his innovative publication designs, his architectural graphics, and for exhibitions that include interior, furniture, and consumer product designs, many of which he created specifically as part of an image or branding effort for a number of prominent American and European organizations and firms. His exhibits include contributions to major museums around the world, including the Museum of Modern Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Cooper-Hewitt Museum, all in New York. Temporary exhibits have included Italy: The New Domestic Landscape, Museum of Modern Art, New York, 1972; Knoll au Musée, Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris, 1972; 107 Grafici dell'AGI, Castello Sforzesco, Milan, 1974; design: Vignelli, Boston Architectural Center, 1976, Kansas City Art Institute, Missouri, 1978, and Art Center College of Design, Pasadena, 1979; Design since 1945, Philadelphia Museum of Art, 1983; The Twentieth Century Poster, Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, 1984; New Design for Old, Boilerhouse/ Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 1986; Massimo Vignelli, Cooper Union, New York, 1986; Lella and Massimo Vignelli, Recent Works, Ontario Art Gallery, Toronto, 1987; Design USA, United States Information Agency sponsored tour of the Soviet Union, 1989-1991; and Vignelli, Academy of the Arts of the U.S.S.R., 1989 (toured Moscow, St. Petersburg, Helsinki, Copenhagen, London, Barcellona, Budapest, Pra- gue, Munich, and Paris, 1989-93). Vignelli has written or edited a number of books on design and architecture. In Design—Vignelli, which he produced with his wife, he collects images of some of the Vignelli team's best work through the years. He has also served as the book designer for a number of titles, including Tadao Ando: Light and Water and Richard Meier: Museums: 1973/2006. The Vignellis have won numerous awards and accolades for their achievements through the years, including a lifetime achievement award in 2003 from the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum.

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

BOOKS

Contemporary Designers, 3rd edition, St. James Press (Detroit, MI), 1997.

PERIODICALS

Architectural Record, July, 1980, "Casa Vignelli: A Showcase of Modern Design," p. 104; July, 1982, "The Walls," p. 120.

Design Week, April 20, 2006, "Profile: Massimo and Lella Vignelli," p. 13.

Hospitality Design, September 1, 2003, "Accolades: I.M. Pei and Vignelli Associates," p. 28.

House & Garden, March, 1981, "Women in Architecture: Breaking New Ground," p. 146.

Interior Design, December, 1988, "Hall of Fame '88," p. 133.

Library Journal, December 15, 1981, review of Design—Vignelli, p. 2385.

Metropolitan Home, May, 1985, "The Met Grill," p. 26.

Newsweek, April 19, 2004, "Design: Edge of Your Seat," p. 69.

New York Times, March 6, 1980, "The Vignelli Look in Furniture, Graphics and Interior Design," p. 10; June 26, 1980, "It's Linen, Linen over All," p. 1; April 7, 1988, "What's the Message? Good Design Starts at the Office Door," p. 1.

Restaurant and Hotel Design, September, 1987, "Design Programs That Do It All," p. 31.

Town & Country, September, 1988, "Arts in Residence," p. 233.

Vogue, November, 1984, "Lella Vignelli: A Taste for Perfection," p. 460.

Working Woman, May, 1980, "Success in the Bag," p. 14.