Early Life and Education
Mattia Bonetti, born in 1952 in Lugano, Switzerland, is a celebrated designer and artist who has significantly impacted the global design scene. He is based in Paris after studying textile design at the Centro Scolastico per l’Industria Artistica in Lugano. Bonetti’s initial steps into the creative world were as a stylist and photographer, creating miniature handmade interiors for his black and white film shoots. This hands-on approach and his innate passion for textures and forms would inspire his switch to furniture design in 1979. His creations, often whimsical and surreal, have a distinct signature that merges art and design into an expressive, fantastical dialogue.
The Creative Process
In the world of Mattia Bonetti, every artistic endeavour starts with a freehand sketch. Bonetti has remained loyal to a network of craftsmen and fabricators he has worked with for decades, relying on their expertise to transform his imaginative drawings into tangible, often luxurious, objects. The eclectic materials he employs range from patinated bronze, acrylic, and wood to rock crystal, marble, glass, and gemstones. Interior designer Jacques Granges lauds Bonetti’s versatility, remarking that his creativity is limitless, equally comfortable crafting meticulous, exact designs and bizarre outlandish worlds.
Collaboration with Elizabeth Garouste and Landmark Projects
One of the defining chapters in Bonetti’s career was his partnership with designer Elizabeth Garouste, starting in the 1970s. Their neo-baroque design language, interspersed with prehistoric and primitive motifs, came to life in projects like the interior décor of the Parisian nightclub Le Palace and restaurant Le Privilege. The duo’s works, including Bonetti’s terracotta masks, were celebrated as “Barbarian design” and set a new trend in Parisian design.In 1987, the pair teamed up with Christian Lacroix to design the interior of his couture house, infusing it with vibrant hues, Rococo motifs, and whimsical nature-inspired elements. Later, Bonetti embarked on two significant projects: redesigning Picasso’s Chateau de Boisgeloup and the private apartments of the Palace of St Emmeram in Germany. Both projects bore the unique mark of Bonetti’s design ethos, where contemporary art cohabited with contemporary design.
Work with David Gill and Recent Endeavors
David Gill, who had recently opened his eponymous gallery in London, began working with Garouste and Bonetti in 1988, captivated by their innovative use of materials and imaginative shapes. In 2014, the David Gill Gallery exhibited new works by Bonetti, with iconic themes such as Grotto, Atlantis, and Bubblegum crafted in luxurious materials like patinated bronze, marble, gilded rock crystal, and glass. A year later, the gallery hosted the UK launch of a two-volume book on Bonetti’s career and work. In his recent works, Bonetti continues to push the technological boundaries, using contemporary skills and technologies like 3D printing, modern acrylics, and robotics. Regardless of the materials or methods used, every piece of Bonetti’s work echoes his unique personality, blending the fantastical with the imaginative and the inventive with the artistic.
Recognition and Collections
Bonetti’s avant-garde designs have been recognized globally. They are included in numerous public collections, such as the Centre Pompidou in Paris, the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum in New York, the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, and the Victoria & Albert Museum in London.
Sources
Byars, M., & Riley, T. (2004). The design encyclopedia. Laurence King Publishing.
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Wikipedia contributors. (2020, March 25). Mattia Bonetti. In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 19:38, September 20, 2021, from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mattia_Bonetti&oldid=947271796
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