Vintage Armchair and Ottoman by Alessandro Mendini for Matteo Grassi, 1986, Set of 2

Alessandro Mendini was born in Milan in 1931. Through his work as an architect, designer, journalist, and publisher, Mendini has helped establish the Italian design sensibility on a global scale—with a particular focus on neo-modern, avant-garde design, as well as the cross-over between art, design, and architecture.

Mendini’s work spans the arenas of graphics, furniture, interiors, architecture, stage design, writing, and painting. He was the publisher of the popular magazines Casabella (1970-76), Modo and Domus (each 1979-85). In 1979, he joined Ettore Sottsass and Michele De Lucchi as a partner at Studio Alchimia before he cofounded Domus Academy in 1982.

In recognition of his outstanding body of work, Mendini was awarded the Compasso d’Oro twice, in 1979 and 1981. He was also honored by the Architectural League of New York and made Chevalier des Arts et Lettres in France. His work is included in the permanent collections of the Metropolitan Museum and the Museum of Modern Art in New York, and the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris, among others.

Presently, Mendini teaches at Milan’s Polytechnic University. He and his brother Francesco run their practice, Atelier Mendini, together in Milan.

In 1880 in the Brianza region of Italy, the Grassi family began crafting saddles, bridles, reins, and other leather equipment for horses. Following World War II, the Grassis joined the rapid industrialization under way in northern Italy and expanded their production to include a wide range of leather goods, especially items for both the home and public interiors. By the late 1970s, Matteo Grassi had built an international reputation for distinctive, finely made leather furniture, from chairs and sofas, to tables and beds. One of the most successful among the brand’s early original designs was Tito Agnoli’s Korium Armchair (1979).

Over the years, Matteo Grassi has worked with an impressive roster of designers, such as Carlo Bartoli, Piero Lissoni, Alessandro Mendini, Franco Poli, Eoos, Luigi Massoni, Jean Nouvel, Matteo Nunziati, Mauro Lipparini, and Rodolfo Dordoni. The brand—associated with high quality materials and generously sleek forms—is well represented in airports and executive offices around the world.

After more than a century of production, Matteo Grassi has recently gone out of business.