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Architect and urban planner Jean Nouvel was born in France in 1945 and trained at first in Bordeaux and then at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. After working at Claude Parent’s practice, in 1970 Nouvel opened his first studio with François Seigneur. In 1988 he founded Jean Nouvel, Emmanuel Cattani et Associés (up until 1994). He was cofounder of the French Architects’ Movement (1976) and of the Syndicat de l’Architecture (1979); he founded and directed the Biennale d’Architecture as part of the Biennale of Paris (1980), and he was vice-president of the Institut Français d’Architecture (1991). Since 1983 he has received numerous awards and recognition in France and abroad, including the Leone d’Oro of the International Biennale of Architecture in Venice (2000), the Gold Medal of the Royal Institute of British Architects (2001) and the Praemium Imperiale (2001). His main works include the Institut du Monde Arabe (Paris 1981-87), the restoration of the Opera House in Lyon (1986-93), the Cartier Foundation for Contemporary Art (Paris 1991-94), the Galeries Lafayette in Berlin (1991-96) and the Culture and Convention Centre in Lucerne (1993-2001).

The Alessi line is the best expression of mass-produced industrial design, with a superior emphasis on technological quality, craftsmanship, and conceptual design.