Recopilación: Michael Anastassiades
Born in Cyprus in 1967, internationally renowned Michael Anastassiades approaches design by combining the most advanced industrial techniques with craft inspired by suggestions from the world of art and design. After studying civil engineering at the Imperial College of Science Technology and Medicine in London, he specialised in industrial design at the Royal College of Art. In 1994, he set up his own office in London, where he now resides. During his 20-year career, he has worked for B&B Italia, Herman Miller, Gebrüder Thonet Vienna GmbH, Flos, Cassina, Bang & Olufsen, Molteni, to name but a few. In 2007, he founded the company Michael Anastassiades, for which he designs and creates collections of furniture, lamps, ornaments, jewellery and limited edition pieces.
His first inspiration was one of the greatest Cypriot architects, Neoptolemos Michailides, whom the designer had the opportunity to meet at a young age. The architect had trained in Milan at the turn of the 1940s and 1950s under Gio Ponti, distinguishing himself for his ability to combine elements from local Cypriot culture with the precepts of the Modern Movement. This approach is evident in Anastassiades' work, characterised by pure lines and simple geometric forms - a minimalist rigour tempered by refined materials and reflective surfaces. Several lighting projects stand out among his most appreciated works, which in some cases are true works of art like the String Light systems, the iconic IC series or the Arrangements collection of pendant lamps for Flos. In addition to lighting, Anastassiades designed the Jack bookcase for B&B Italia, the Ordinal Table for Cassina, and the T-Square shelf for Coedition. Among the most significant works created and realised by Michael Anastassiades are the Li Galli Islands coffee tables; lighting for the A. G. Leventis Gallery in Cyprus; The Large Philosophical Egg lamp, inspired by the emblematic egg in the Brera Altarpiece by Piero della Francesca; lighting for the Four Seasons restaurant in New York, later converted into the Coordinates collection launched by Flos in 2020.
Anastassiades' awards and recognitions include the recent 2021 IF Design Award for the Sugiloo chair and the 2019 Archiproducts Design Award for the N.200 lounge chair, both by Gebrüder Thonet Vienna GmbH. He received the Compasso d'Oro ADI in 2020 for his Arrangements collection for Flos. His work has been the subject of several solo exhibitions and some items are in the permanent collections of MoMa in New York, the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, the Art Institute of Chicago, the FRAC Centre in Orleans, France, and the MAK in Vienna.
