George Nelson

A key figure in American design, George Nelson (Hartford, Connecticut 1908 – New York, 1986) is one of the fathers of Modernism in the United States. Following a degree in architecture at Yale University and a further training at the American Academy in Rome from 1932 to 1934, Nelson dedicated himself to the design of home and office furnishings, crossing paths with some milestones of American mid-century design, from Charles and Ray Eames to Isamu Noguchi and Harry Bertoia. With the opening of his design office, George Nelson Associates Inc., from 1947 the designer embarked on projects for private residences in parallel with the creation of furniture: his objects, which combine creativity and functionality, are still largely the best-sellers of numerous brands — vintage design icons once again in vogue in contemporary interior design, such as the 1952 Saucer Bubble pendant lamp and the 1956 Marshmallow sofa — as well as being exhibited in design museums around the world. Towards the end of the ‘50s Nelson, who, during his career wrote eleven books on design, established a fruitful and long-lasting collaboration with famous brand Herman Miller, of which he was Design Director until 1972.