Ron Arad

1951 Tel Aviv



Ron Arad studied at the Jerusalem Art Academy from 1971 until 1973 before he went to London to continue his studies at the Architectural Association, the prestigious avant-garde school for architecture and design. Ron Arad's teacher was Peter Cook, the founder of Archigram. Among his fellow students were Peter Wilson, Nigel Coates, and Zaha Hadid.
In 1981, together with Caroline Thorman, Ron Arad founded "One Off" in London. Being a studio and a showroom in one, "One Off" became the laboratory in which Ron Arad conducted his design experiments. However, the works of other avant-garde designers such as Tom Dixon, Danny Lane, Tom Lynham, and John Mills were also featured at "One Off".
In 1981 Ron Arad designed the "Rover Chair", with a seat from a four wheel drive car. In 1985 Ron Arad produced "Concrete Sound", a hi-fi system within a concrete casing. Early, Ron Arad preferred to use steel polished to a high gloss for his seat furniture. Later, he also used wood, aluminium and plastic. Seat furniture Ron Arad designed for Moroso includes "Big Easy" (1988/89), "Little Heavy" (1991), and, in 2000, the "Victoria & Albert" chair.
Ron Arad attached great importance to the one-off character of his works. As a result, it would be more adequate to describe his seat furniture as seat objects or art furniture. Through his choice of materials, labor-intensive techniques of manufacture, and unusual forms, Rod Arad has deliberately distanced his objects from mass-produced furniture, which has also made them quite expensive.
For Kartell Ron Arad has produced some commercially very successful designs, including the 1997 "Bookworm" shelving and, in 1998, the chairs "Tom Vac" and "FPE" (- fantastic plastic elastic). Ron Arad did several designs for Vitra in the 1980s, including the 1986-87 "Well Tempered Chair" of sheet stainless steel fastened together with screws sporting wing nuts.
In 1989 Ron Arad opened another studio in London, Ron Arad Associates. Since 1994 there has also been the Ron Arad Studio in Como, Italy. From 1994 to 1997 Ron Arad was a visiting professor at the Kunsthochschule in Vienna. Ron Arad teaches at the Royal College of Art in London.