Patricia Urquiola’s First Solo Exhibition

Today we will be reviewing the work of Patricia Urquiola, Spanish designer and architect. Art director of Cassina and Haworth, and placeholder in the Interior Design Hall of Fame, “Patricia Urquiola: Between Craft and Industry” was her first solo exhibition, at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. It started the past November 19th and will be open until next year’s March 3rd.

The displayed artwork includes her projects for Cassina, B&B Italia, and Moroso, her porcelain tables for Rosenthal, and her lighting designs for Flos.

The exhibition also stars photographs of her projects such as the Mandarin Oriental, Barcelona, in her homeland. The night before the show’s opening, Urquiola received the museum’s Collab Design Excellence Award, won by fellow iconic women in the world of design such as Paula Scher and the late Zaha Hadid.

Urquiola was born in Oviedo, Spain, and moved to Italy to study at the Milan Politecnico in 89. Before that, she studied architecture in Madrid. Urquiola prioritizes “rigor and emotion, innovation and mental comfort. Italian masters of industrial design Achille Castiglioni and Vico Magistretti oversaw her education and first few projects, and it was with their guidance that Urquiola truly mastered the design arts. After that, she opened her own studio from where she netted out an entire global enterprise.

Some highlights from her career include her encounter with Maddalena de Padova (1990), her collaboration with Piero Lissoni (1996-2000), and her partnership with Patrizia Moroso (since 1998) which led to the design of the Step Sofa, which will be debuting at the iSaloni Milano and launching her into the spotlight at the age of 40. During her work with Lissoni Associati around 1993, she got the chance to develop furniture for Italian giants Cappellini and Cassina.

Interior Design Giants is your source of daily content on the world’s best interior designers, their exhibitions, collaborations and work product. In that sense, Patricia Urquiola’s inspirational and cutting-edge design artwork will always have a seat at our table. Stay tuned for more updates!