Biography
Since the mid-1980s, Ron Arad has been one of the most important trendsetters in contemporary design with his experimental design language and his designs made of welded sheet steel.
He was born in Tel Aviv in 1951, his father was a photographer and his mother a painter. After beginning his studies at the Academy of Art in Jerusalem in 1971, he moved to London in 1973 to attend the Architectural Association School of Architecture. His legendary first studio on Neal Street in London has survived through photographic documentation and already reveals the core of his formal language and choice of materials for the years to come. In 1981, he co-founded One Off Ltd. with Caroline Thorman. Arad created sculptural furniture from sheet steel in his workshop, mostly one-offs and limited editions. He received his first commission from Rolf Fehlbaum of Vitra in 1985. The design publisher gave Ron Arad free hand in the design. The result was the 'Well Tempered Chair' - a creation of four thin die-cut tempered steel sheet loops. Equally famous and an example of Arad's artistic, free approach is the seating object 'Big Easy' (1988). The original idea was to make a series of armchairs by cutting, bending and welding steel sheets. The objects were to have the same unfinished effect as the quick sketch drawings. The more pieces were produced, the softer and more elegant they became.
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