Martino Gamper

Martino Gamper (1971–) is an Italian designer who lives and works in London. Born in South Tyrol, he studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna, where he specialized in sculpture under the guidance of Arte Povera master Michelangelo Pistoletto, before moving to London in 1998 to attend the Royal College of Art. Much of his international recognition stems from the project 100 Chairs in 100 Days, first exhibited in London in 2007, later shown at the Triennale di Milano in 2009 and in San Francisco in 2010, and eventually published as a book of the same name. In this original project, Gamper created one hundred different chairs—each unique—using reclaimed materials. Discarded chairs were dismantled and recomposed through an approach indebted to the philosophy of the ready-made, in an uninterrupted experimental marathon that allowed him to confront a new design challenge every day. The aesthetic of Gamper’s one hundred chairs is guided by a frequent rejection of classical ideals of symmetry and harmony, replaced by the pursuit of unexpected solutions. This attitude is evident throughout much of his work, both in the many limited editions created for exhibitions and galleries and in his industrial production, which has included collaborations with major brands such as Moroso, Magis, Established & Sons, Gebrüder Thonet Vienna, cc-tapis, Ercol, and others.