Matteo Thun

Thun emerged as a leading Italian industrial designer in the last two decades of the 20th century, working as a consultant to several larger multinationals eager to explore the developing markets of younger ‘lifestyle’ oriented consumers interested in Postmodern products. These have included Arzberg, Flos, Fiorrucci, Rosenthal, Swatch, Villeroy & Boch, and WMF (Württembergische Metallwarenfabrik). Following his graduation in architecture in Florence in 1975, Thun became intimately involved with the course of Italian avant-garde design, particularly through his involvement with the Memphis group and Sottsass Associates from 1981 to 1984, the year in which he opened his own design studio in Milan. His many designs have included Le Petit Café service for Arzberg (1987), Pao floor and table lamps for Arteluce (1993), and bicycles for Gruppo, a leading Italian specialist manufacturer in the field. He also designed the Tavola tableware range of 1987 and Punk-oriented Hommage à Madonna cutlery of 1985-6 for WMF, a leading German cutlery and domestic hardware manufacturer.