Whimsical yet elegant, technologically savvy with a penchant for the handmade, Marc Newson imparts smooth geometries and organically inspired forms heightened by an admonishment of sharp edges and a studied splash of translucency, storied and unique. Perhaps most known for his novel Lockheed Lounge, a handmade chaise whose riveted aluminum panels summoned the sleek frame of the Lockheed Martin aircraft, and his work for Capellini, including the dynamic Orgone collection and the stealth and compact Embryo chair, this Australian designer has proved prolific in a diverse reach into product design, luxury goods, fashion, fine arts, and transportation design as well. From watches to aircraft interiors, footwear to pieces of iconic furniture and delightful everyday objects like perfume bottles and pens, Newson has maintained that design is an investigative journey into one’s relationship with the material world, an exercise in structure and technology while often taking a hands-on approach to solidify our connection with all that is tactile and visually appealing, crafting objects that rouse our emotions and make living more wonderous, intriguing, and cultured.
When it comes to furnishings, Marc Newson creates elements for living that can forge their way into our souls as sculptural art pieces in their own right. A synthesis of precision and sophistication with imaginative forms that challenge the possibilities of material and meaning restructure how we interact with each piece, with a closeness and connection to beauty that elevates everyday experiences and activates our minds with curiosity and innovation. It is no wonder then that Newson is the only industrial designer represented by the prestigious art gallery Gagosian, as his work inspires us as transcendent marvels of art as much as they pioneer a path to truly groundbreaking design. One piece created for Gagosian particularly threads a line between sculptural art and design – the Extruded chair made by a single block of marble. With uninterrupted lines and robust geometries, this extraordinary piece commands presence as not only a place to rest and relax, but as an object to admire for its enchanting proportions and clean, captivating silhouette. The futuristic vocabulary that characterizes his work is present in the Extruded Chair, uniting firm vigor with a forgiving softness, solid materiality with an openness of form, architecturally sound and visually pure.
As we are inspired by the ingenuity and mesmerizing beauty of his industrious and at times mysterious works, Marc Newson finds his own muse in diverse realms, from the usefulness of everyday things to illustrious fashion design and artisan traditions of years past. Whether resurrecting the Chinese cloisonne technique, historically used for figurines and vases, and transforming it into monumental forms for living, or reinterpreting the subtlety, sensuality, and transparency of celebrated fashion designer Azzedine Alaï into ambitious architectural screens that mirror the technical complexity and sophisticated simplicity of his garments, Newson’s work is a passionate composite of historic tradition and revolutionary futurism, one that transcends geographies and invades our psyche with arresting structures, both subtle and brazen, capricious and profound.
January 2024
