Mario Botta

Mario Botta (°1943) is a Swiss architect-designer who studied at the Liceo Artistico in Milan and the Istituto Universitario di Architettura in Venice. At the university he had the opportunity to take lessons from Luis Kahn (1941-1974) and Le Corbusier (1887-1965) who exerted a lasting influence on his work. In this way his architectural style evolved into a purified geometric form that left an imposing impression. In 1969 he founded his own architectural firm in Mendrisio. His striking post-modern private and public spaces, including even religious buildings, gained an international reputation.
Botta started creating furniture in the 1980s. Especially tables, chairs and lighting. He made these on request for Alimes and Artemide, among others. His product designs are, as it were, an echo of his building projects. They also have that characteristic simple illusion on which he combines classical as well as contemporary elements on geometric serenity.
In the course of his career, Botta has been a guest professor at the École Polytechnique Fédérale in Lausanne and a member of many notable groups: the Commissione Federale Svizzera delle Belle Arti, the Bund Deutscher Architekten (BDA) and the American Institute of Architects (AIA). He won the Chicago Architecture Award in 1986 and the Grand Officer Award in 2006. His designs can be found in permanent collections all over the world.

Submitted by Galerie Alain Hens