Emilio Ambasz is an Argentinean who studied architecture at Princeton University from 1960 to 1965, worked at the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) in New York from 1970 to 1975 as Curator of Design arranged the landmark Italy: The New Domestic Landscape Exhibition in 1972. As seen in the work of groups like Archizoom and Superstudio, this showcase for Italian avant-garde design thought explored the concept of objects as part of an entire world rather than discrete, stand-alone, aesthetically self-conscious items.
In 1974, he curated the MOMA exhibition The Chairs of Charles R. Mackintosh. In 1976, he produced the MOMA exhibition The Taxi Project: Practical Solutions Today, which focused on environmental issues.
Opened offices
In 1976, he opened architectural and design offices in New York and Bologna, Italy, as an industrial, graphic, and exhibition designer.
Design Works
In 1981, Emilio Ambasz formed the Emilio Ambasz Design Group in New York. The Ergonomic Vertebra chair for Open Ark (1976), which adapted to the user’s movements, the Dorsal seating system (1981), spotlights for Logotec (1981), and the Osiris lighting system for Erco Leuchten (1981) were all design successes (1983). He’s held various educational positions in Europe and the United States, including a visiting professorship at Ulm’s Hochschule für Gestaltung in 1967.
Also, he has received several design awards, including the American Institute of Graphic Arts Award in 1973, the US National Design Award in 1980, and the Compasso d’Oro in 1981.
Sources
Woodham, J. M. (2006). A dictionary of modern design. Oxford University Press.
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