Alessandro Mendini (1931-2019), Poltrona di Proust armchair, Italy, 1979

Alessandro Mendini, a rebellious figure of Italian design and member of the Studio Alchimia advocates re-design, objects and furniture that have become too impersonal due to being functional. A literary and artistic reference, Poltrona di Proust is a reinterpreted 18^th century easy chair incarnating experimental design beyond any rationalist or functionalist movement. He magnifies the ordinary and stands up against the principles of austerity while giving free reign to Mendini’s love of kitsch.