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Philippe Starck (; born 18 January 1949) is a French industrial architect and designer known for his wide range of designs, including interior design, architecture, household objects, furniture, boats and other vehicles.


Life

Starck was born on 18 January 1949 in
Paris Paris () is the capital and 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), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...
. He is the son of André Starck, who was an
aeronautics engineer Aerospace engineering is the primary field of engineering concerned with the development of aircraft and spacecraft. It has two major and overlapping branches: aeronautical engineering and astronautical engineering. Avionics engineering is si ...
. He says that his father often inspired him because he was an
engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who Invention, invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considerin ...
, who made invention a "duty". His family was originally from and lived in the
Alsace Alsace (, ; ; Low Alemannic German/ gsw-FR, Elsàss ; german: Elsass ; la, Alsatia) is a cultural region and a territorial collectivity in eastern France, on the west bank of the upper Rhine next to Germany and Switzerland. In 2020, it had ...
region, before his grandfather moved to Paris. He studied at the École Camondo in Paris.Biography, Philippe Starck, Britannica Online


Career

While working for
Adidas Adidas AG (; stylized as adidas since 1949) is a German multinational corporation, founded and headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Bavaria, that designs and manufactures shoes, clothing and accessories. It is the largest sportswear manufacture ...
, Starck set up his first
industrial design Industrial design is a process of design applied to physical products that are to be manufactured by mass production. It is the creative act of determining and defining a product's form and features, which takes place in advance of the manufactu ...
company, ''Starck Product'', which he later renamed ''Ubik''"The who's who of design. Name: Starck Philippe, born 18 January 1949, son of Andre Starck,
aeronautics engineer Aerospace engineering is the primary field of engineering concerned with the development of aircraft and spacecraft. It has two major and overlapping branches: aeronautical engineering and astronautical engineering. Avionics engineering is si ...
. His family originally coming from
Alsace Alsace (, ; ; Low Alemannic German/ gsw-FR, Elsàss ; german: Elsass ; la, Alsatia) is a cultural region and a territorial collectivity in eastern France, on the west bank of the upper Rhine next to Germany and Switzerland. In 2020, it had ...
region, before his grandfather had moved to
Paris Paris () is the capital and 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), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...
. Studies: Ecole Camondo in Paris. Profession: designer, boss of Ubik. Distinctions: Award for the Paramount Hotel in New York (1992), Best Design Oscar for the Beneteau yacht (1990); Platinum Circle Award (Chicago 1987), Designer of the Year (1985). Management n°24, p 122, February 1997
after Philip K. Dick's novel, and began working with manufacturers in Italy (Driade), Alessi, Kartell, and internationally, including Drimmer in Austria, Vitra in Switzerland and Disform in Spain. In 1983, then-French President
François Mitterrand François Marie Adrien Maurice Mitterrand (26 October 19168 January 1996) was President of France, serving under that position from 1981 to 1995, the longest time in office in the history of France. As First Secretary of the Socialist Party, he ...
, on the recommendation of his Minister of Culture, Jack Lang, chose Starck to refurbish the president's private apartments at the Élysée. The following year he designed the Café Costes. Starck's output expanded to include furniture, decoration, architecture,
street furniture Street furniture is a collective term for objects and pieces of equipment installed along streets and roads for various purposes. It includes benches, traffic barriers, bollards, post boxes, phone boxes, streetlamps, traffic lights, traf ...
, industry (wind turbines,
photo booth A photo booth is a vending machine or modern kiosk that contains an automated, usually coin-operated, camera and film processor. Today, the vast majority of photo booths are digital. History The patent for the first automated photography ma ...
s), bathroom fittings, kitchens, floor, and wall coverings, lighting, domestic appliances, office equipment such as
stapler A stapler is a mechanical device that joins pages of paper or similar material by driving a thin metal staple through the sheets and folding the ends. Staplers are widely used in government, business, offices, work places, homes and schools. ...
s, utensils, tableware, clothing, accessories, toys, glassware, graphic design and publishing, food, and vehicles for land, sea, air and space.


Architecture

The buildings he designed in Japan, starting in 1989, went against the grain of traditional forms. The first, ''Nani Nani'', in
Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.46 ...
, described as a biomorphic shed. A year later he designed the ''
Asahi Beer Hall The Asahi Beer Hall ( a.k.a. ''Super Dry Hall'', or ''Flamme d'Or'') is one of the buildings of the Asahi Breweries headquarters located on the east bank of the Sumida River in Sumida, Tokyo, Japan. It was designed by French designer Phili ...
'' in Tokyo, a building topped with a golden flame. This was followed in 1992 by ''Le Baron Vert'' office complex in
Osaka is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of ...
. In France he designed the extension of the École Nationale Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs ( ENSAD) in Paris (1998). In 1991, Starck designed one of the pavilions for the new
Groninger Museum The Groninger Museum () is an art museum in the city of Groningen in the Netherlands. The museum exhibits modern and contemporary art of local, national, and international artists. The museum opened in 1874. The current post-modernist building co ...
. Since the late 1980s, Starck has designed several hotels in different countries, these include the
Royalton Hotel The Royalton Hotel is a hotel at 44 West 44th Street in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, United States. The hotel, opened in 1898, was designed by architecture firm Rossiter & Wright and developed by civil engineer Edward G. Bailey. The 13-s ...
(1988) and
Paramount Hotel The Paramount Hotel (formerly the Century-Paramount Hotel) is a hotel in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States. Designed by architect Thomas W. Lamb, the hotel is at 235 West 46th Street, between Eighth A ...
(1990) in New York City, the
Delano Delano or DeLano may refer to: Places in the United States * Delano, California * Delano, Wichita, Kansas, a neighborhood in Wichita and former community before merging with Wichita * Delano, Minnesota * Delano, Nevada * Delano, Pennsylvania * De ...
in Miami, the
Hudson Hotel The Hudson New York was a boutique hotel located along West 58th Street (at Ninth Avenue), in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The hotel closed in November 2020 due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. History The Hudson New York was co ...
and the
Mondrian Hotel The Mondrian Hotel is a boutique hotel owned and/or operated by SBE Entertainment Group, located in West Hollywood, California. History The structure was built in 1959 as an apartment building. It was later renovated and reopened in 1985 as the ...
in West Hollywood, the Sanderson the Saint Martin's Lane in London, Le Meurice renovations in 2016, the Royal Monceau (2010) as well as more recently the Hotel Brach (2018) and the Hotel 9Confidentiel (2018), in Paris. Also in France, in the South West, Philippe Starck designed La Co(o)rniche and Ha(a)itza hotels, both in
Arcachon Arcachon ( ; ) is a commune in the southwestern French department of Gironde. It is a popular seaside resort on the Atlantic coast southwest of Bordeaux, in the Landes forest. It has a sandy beach and a mild climate said to be favourable for i ...
, near the
Dune of Pilat The Dune of Pilat (French: ''Dune du Pilat'', official name), also called ''Grande Dune du Pilat'', is the tallest sand dune in Europe. It is located in La Teste-de-Buch in the Arcachon Bay area, France, 60 km (37.2 mi) southwest of Bor ...
. In 2019, Starck created the Lily of the Valley Hotel on the French Riviera and in 2020, opened La Réserve Eden au Lac Zurich. Starck has designed several restaurants, including in the early years, the ''Café Costes'' (1984) in Paris, ''Manin'' (1985) in Tokyo, ''Theatron'' (1985) in Mexico City, ''Teatriz'' (1990) in Madrid or more recently several restaurants with the Alajmo brothers in Paris, Venice and Milan – Caffe Stern (2014), Amo (2016), Gran Caffe Quadri (2018) and Amor (2019), La Réserve à la Plage in
Saint Tropez , INSEE = 83119 , postal code = 83990 , image coat of arms = Blason ville fr Saint-Tropez-A (Var).svg , image flag=Flag of Saint-Tropez.svg Saint-Tropez (; oc, Sant Tropetz, ; ) is a commune in the Var department and the region of Provence-A ...
with Michel Reybier Hospitality, ''The Avenue at Saks'' in New York in 2019. The Alhondiga, a 43,000 square-meter culture and leisure venue in
Bilbao ) , motto = , image_map = , mapsize = 275 px , map_caption = Interactive map outlining Bilbao , pushpin_map = Spain Basque Country#Spain#Europe , pushpin_map_caption ...
designed by Starck, opened in 2010. Starck also designed affordable and adjustable pre-fabricated P.A.T.H. houses. Starck was commissioned by the
Hilton Worldwide Hilton Worldwide (legally Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc.) is an American multinational hospitality company that manages and franchises a broad portfolio of hotels and resorts. Founded by Conrad Hilton in May 1919, the corporation is now led by ...
to create entirely a new hotel in
Metz Metz ( , , lat, Divodurum Mediomatricorum, then ) is a city in northeast France located at the confluence of the Moselle and the Seille rivers. Metz is the prefecture of the Moselle department and the seat of the parliament of the Grand ...
, France. Maison Heler is a phantasmagoric building topped by a traditional Alsatian house, a poetic symbol of the region that should open in 2021.


Yachts

In 2002 he designed Wedge Too, which was built by Feadship. In 2004, commissioned by Russian Oligarch Andrey Melnichenko, Starck designed the Motor Yacht A and then in 2012 the A (sailing yacht) – one of the world's largest sailing yachts. Starck designed the infrastructure for the Port Adriano harbour on the south-west bay of
Palma de Mallorca Palma (; ; also known as ''Palma de Mallorca'', officially between 1983–88, 2006–08, and 2012–16) is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands in Spain. It is situated on the south coast of Mallorca ...
, Mallorca and was artistic director for the interior. It opened in April 2012. In 2008, he designed
Steve Jobs Steven Paul Jobs (February 24, 1955 – October 5, 2011) was an American entrepreneur, industrial designer, media proprietor, and investor. He was the co-founder, chairman, and CEO of Apple; the chairman and majority shareholder of Pixar; ...
's yacht ''
Venus Venus is the second planet from the Sun. It is sometimes called Earth's "sister" or "twin" planet as it is almost as large and has a similar composition. As an interior planet to Earth, Venus (like Mercury) appears in Earth's sky never f ...
,'' which was launched in October 2012, just over a year after the death of Apple's founder. The yacht was built at Aalsmeer in the Netherlands.


Furniture

Zartan, created for
Magis ''Magis'' (pronounced "màh-gis") is a Latin word that means "more" or "greater". It is related to '' ad majorem Dei gloriam'', a Latin phrase meaning "for the greater glory of God", the motto of the Society of Jesus. Magis refers to the philos ...
in 2010, is a chair entirely made from natural material as bamboo, linen and hemp fiber, a non-toxic and biodegradable alternative to replace plastic. In 2012, Starck released Broom for
Emeco Emeco (styled "emeco®") is a privately held company based in Hanover, Pennsylvania. The Emeco 1006, known as the Navy Chair, has been in continuous production since the 1940s. Today, Emeco manufactures furniture designed by notable designers and ...
, an anti-waste chair made of materials collected in lumber and plastic plants factories. Starck released Cassina Croque la pomme in 2019, a furniture collection for Cassina, entirely made from a vegan fabric, with apple leather. For Salone del Mobile 2022, Dior Maison has invited Starck to reinterpret the timeless Médallion seat – dreaming up the Miss Dior chair, paying tribute to a distinct femininity with an elegant construction and virtuoso craftsmanship.


Technology

In 1996, Starck worked with Alain Mikli to launch Starck Eyes. Bought in 2013 by
Luxottica Luxottica Group S.p.A. is an Italian eyewear conglomerate and the world's largest company in the eyewear industry. It is based in Milan, Italy. Luxottica is a vertically integrated company, which has been described as a monopoly—it designs, ma ...
, Starck Eyes becomes Starck Biotech Paris in 2019 and is inspired by the human body to create revolutionary eyewear, merging design with biomechanics. Starck helped design the Xiaomi Mi MIX smartphone, notable for having a 6.4-inch "whole surface screen". In 2016, Starck developed a GPS-tracking wristband, DIAL (Individual Alert and Localization Device) for Société nationale de Sauvetage en Mer, which allows endangered people to share their exact location to rescue service whether they are in the sea or in the beach. In 2018, Starck collaborated with
Axiom Space Axiom Space, Inc., also known as Axiom, is an American privately funded space infrastructure developer headquartered in Houston, Texas. Founded in 2016 by Michael T. Suffredini and Kam Ghaffarian, the company first flew a spaceflight in 2 ...
and created the interior of the
International Space Station The International Space Station (ISS) is the largest Modular design, modular space station currently in low Earth orbit. It is a multinational collaborative project involving five participating space agencies: NASA (United States), Roscosmos ( ...
's housing module. A comfortable and luxurious living space adapted to weightlessness, with suede-textured walls, big windows to appreciate the view and all the technology needed to stay connected. In 2019, the so-called ''AI chair'' was presented to the public. Starck cooperated with experts of the 3D software company
Autodesk Autodesk, Inc. is an American multinational software corporation that makes software products and services for the architecture, engineering, construction, manufacturing, media, education, and entertainment industries. Autodesk is headquartere ...
and created a chair design with help of an
Artificial Intelligence Artificial intelligence (AI) is intelligence—perceiving, synthesizing, and inferring information—demonstrated by machines, as opposed to intelligence displayed by animals and humans. Example tasks in which this is done include speech ...
.


Collections

Starck's work is seen in the collections of European and American museums, including the
Musée National d'Art Moderne The Musée National d'Art Moderne (; "National Museum of Modern Art") is the national museum for modern art of France. It is located in Paris and is housed in the Centre Pompidou in the 4th arrondissement of the city. In 2021 it ranked 10th in t ...
(to which he has donated several pieces, in particular prototypes) the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in
Paris Paris () is the capital and 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), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...
, the
MOMA Moma may refer to: People * Moma Clarke (1869–1958), British journalist * Moma Marković (1912–1992), Serbian politician * Momčilo Rajin (born 1954), Serbian art and music critic, theorist and historian, artist and publisher Places ; ...
and the
Brooklyn Museum The Brooklyn Museum is an art museum located in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. At , the museum is New York City's second largest and contains an art collection with around 1.5 million objects. Located near the Prospect Heights, Cro ...
in
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
, the
Vitra Design Museum The Vitra Design Museum is a privately owned museum for design in Weil am Rhein, Germany. Former Vitra CEO, and son of Vitra founders Willi and Erika Fehlbaum, Rolf Fehlbaum founded the museum in 1989 as an independent private foundation. The ...
in
Basel , french: link=no, Bâlois(e), it, Basilese , neighboring_municipalities= Allschwil (BL), Hégenheim (FR-68), Binningen (BL), Birsfelden (BL), Bottmingen (BL), Huningue (FR-68), Münchenstein (BL), Muttenz (BL), Reinach (BL), Riehen (B ...
and the
Design Museum The Design Museum in Kensington, London exhibits product, industrial, graphic, fashion, and architectural design. In 2018, the museum won the European Museum of the Year Award. The museum operates as a registered charity, and all funds generate ...
in
London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
. More than 660 of his designs were inventoried in French public collections in 2011. Philippe starck per kartell spa, sedia louis ghost, 2002.jpg, ''Masters Chair'', homage to the masters,
Arne Jacobsen Arne Emil Jacobsen, Hon. FAIA () 11 February 1902 – 24 March 1971) was a Danish architect and furniture designer. He is remembered for his contribution to architectural functionalism and for the worldwide success he enjoyed with simple we ...
,
Charles Eames Charles Ormond Eames Jr. (June 17, 1907 – August 21, 1978) was an American designer, architect and filmmaker. In professional partnership with his spouse Ray Kaiser Eames, he was responsible for groundbreaking contributions in the field of a ...
,
Eero Saarinen Eero Saarinen (, ; August 20, 1910 – September 1, 1961) was a Finnish-American architect and industrial designer noted for his wide-ranging array of designs for buildings and monuments. Saarinen is best known for designing the General Motors ...
, Kartell,
Indianapolis Museum of Art The Indianapolis Museum of Art (IMA) is an encyclopedic art museum located at Newfields, a campus that also houses Lilly House, The Virginia B. Fairbanks Art & Nature Park: 100 Acres, the Gardens at Newfields, the Beer Garden, and more. It ...
Philippe starck per kartell spa., sedia sr. glob, 1988.jpg, ''Dr. Glob'' Chair, Kartell Indianapolis Museum of Art Philippe starck per vitra ag, sgabello W.W., 1990.jpg, ''Tabouret WW'', 1990, Vitra, Indianapolis Museum of Art Philippe starck per alessi spa., centrotavola les ministres, 1996, in reina e acciaio.jpg, Table center, Alessi, Indianapolis Museum of Art Philippe starck, sedia costes, 1981.JPG, ''Chaise Costes'',
Centre Georges Pompidou The Centre Pompidou (), more fully the Centre national d'art et de culture Georges-Pompidou ( en, National Georges Pompidou Centre of Art and Culture), also known as the Pompidou Centre in English, is a complex building in the Beaubourg area of ...
Philippe starck per alessi spa., spremiagrumi juicy salif, 1990.jpg, '' Juicy Salif'', Alessi, Indianapolis Museum of Art Table & Chairs by Philippe Starck.jpg, ''Louis Ghost'' Chairs


Philosophy


Democratic design

Starck's concept of democratic design led him to focus on mass-produced consumer goods rather than one-off pieces, seeking ways to reduce cost and improve quality in
mass market The term "mass market" refers to a market for goods produced on a large scale for a significant number of end consumers. The mass market differs from the niche market in that the former focuses on consumers with a wide variety of backgrounds wi ...
goods. Through his "democratic design" concept, Starck has campaigned for well-designed objects that are not just aimed for upper-tiered incomes. He has expressed this as a utopian ideal, approached in practice by increasing production quantities to cut costs and by using mail-order, via Les 3 Suisses. In 1998, Philippe Starck sets up the Good Goods catalogue with La Redoute, proposing 170 sustainable and respectful everyday life objects "for the future moral market". Later in 2000, driven by his desire to make design accessible for everyone, he works with
Target Stores Target Corporation (doing business as Target and stylized in all lowercase since 2018) is an American big box department store chain headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is the seventh largest retailer in the United States, and a compon ...
and proposes a collection of more than 50 exclusive and affordable products. Starck released Ideas Box in 2011 for
Bibliothèques Sans Frontières Bibliothèques Sans Frontières (BSF), known as Libraries Without Borders (LWB) in English, is a charitable organisation based in France that provides access to information and education for those who need it most, whether refugees in humanitari ...
. These kit media libraries give the refugee populations access to culture and information. They can be installed anywhere around the world and provide screens, books, games, cameras etc. Starck has been involved in the development of Fluocaril toothbrushes and Laguiole Knives. Alongside his work, Starck partnered with Moustache Bikes for the M.A.S.S. (Mud, Asphalt, Sand and Snow). This is a portfolio of four e-bikes that use a Bosch electrical engine and battery pack. In January 2013, Starck redesigned the Navigo travel pass.Philippe Starck waived his fee for designing this new-generation card, said transport authority STIF. Its pared-down design is intended to make it last, Le Parisien, January 2012


Bibliography

* * * * *


References


External links

*
Mobilier national (France): Philippe Starck
{{DEFAULTSORT:Starck, Philippe French designers French industrial designers Industrial designers Product designers Compasso d'Oro Award recipients 1949 births Living people Axiom Space Businesspeople from Paris People named in the Paradise Papers French interior designers