Hannes Wettstein

Hannes Wettstein (1958-2008) was one of the most important Swiss designers of his generation. Born in Canton Ticino but raised in Zurich, he made his mark in the early 1980s by designing a series of successful lighting systems for the Swiss company Belux, specialized in the lighting sector. The rest of his career will instead see him active above all in Italy, where he was launched by Enrico Baleri, one of the greatest talent scouts in the history of Italian design, who had discovered the talent for product design of figures such as Mario Botta and Philippe Starck. Protagonist of the great return to a more measured and rational design after the excesses of Radical Design that characterized the 1980s, Wettstein is contested by the largest Italian companies, from Molteni & C. to Cassina, from Oluce to Artemide, from Desalto to Alessi, and can also boast important international collaborations with brands such as the Danish Erik Jorgensen or the Belgian Bulo. He was also appreciated as an interior designer, the role in which he created the Swiss embassy in Washington and the Grand Hyatt hotel in Berlin. After his untimely death, the activity is continued by his collaborators, gathered in the Hannes Wettstein Studio.