Joseph Hilton McConnico (13 May 1943 – 29 January 2018) was a designer and artist who was born in

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mos ...

and lived and worked in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

from 1965.

Biography

Hilton McConnico was a self-taught fashion designer. He officially launched his first atelier at 16 years old, and discovered Paris after winning a challenge organized by the magazine ''

Vogue Vogue may refer to: Business * ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine ** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Australia'', an Australian fashion magazine ** ''Vogue China'', ...

'', city where he moved two years later.Hilton McConnico, artiste et designer éclectique, est mort
''Francetvinfo.fr'', 31 January 2018 After working in fashion for such designers as Ted Lapidus and Yves St. Laurent, he was set designer & art director for more than 20 films, including the cult classic ''

Diva Diva (; ) is the Latin word for a goddess. It has often been used to refer to a celebrated woman of outstanding talent in the world of opera, theatre, cinema, fashion and popular music. If referring to an actress, the meaning of ''diva'' is cl ...

.'' In 1990 Memphis Brooks Museum of Art held a retrospective of 30 years of his creations.Godfrey Deeny
Hilton McConnico, artist and set designer, dies in Paris
''Fashionnetwork.com'', 31 January 2018 His collaboration with Daum crystal began in 1987; some of his "Cactus" creations for the manufacturer were presented by former French President François Mitterrand to President George H. W. Bush as a gift of state. He was also the first American to have work permanently inducted into the

Louvre The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is the world's most-visited museum, and an historic landmark in Paris, France. It is the home of some of the best-known works of art, including the ''Mona Lisa'' and the ''Venus de Milo''. A central l ...

's Decorative Arts collection. McConnico remained active on the global design scene, especially in

architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing building ...

and

interior design Interior design is the art and science of enhancing the interior of a building to achieve a healthier and more aesthetically pleasing environment for the people using the space. An interior designer is someone who plans, researches, coordi ...

. Later projects included the ''Toupary'' restaurant on the fifth-floor of the historic Samaritaine department store and the ''Hermes'' Museum in

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...

, which he conceived for the new

Renzo Piano Renzo Piano (; born 14 September 1937) is an Italian architect. His notable buildings include the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris (with Richard Rogers, 1977), The Shard in London (2012), the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City ( ...

building in the famed Ginza shopping district and a collection of limited series and unique pieces for Formia International in Murano Glass. Hilton McConnico was affected by the

Parkinson's disease Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a long-term degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that mainly affects the motor system. The symptoms usually emerge slowly, and as the disease worsens, non-motor symptoms becom ...

before his death.

Awards

*2005: Talent de l'Audace prize from the Sommet du Luxe et de la Création

References

External links

McConnico's Website
1943 births 2018 deaths American artists People from Memphis, Tennessee {{US-artist-stub