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Remembering the multi-talented designer Richard Sapper, where an extensive resume saw him working with the likes of FIAT and Knoll, and who was a close associate of Alberto Alessi.

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Words by Emily Martin

A multi-talented designer, Richard Sapper's expansive career saw him work with some of the world's top brands, including FIAT, Lenovo, B&B Italia, Alessi, Knoll and IBM. He was particularly noted for championing technology innovations, which led him to design the first ThinkPad laptop computer in 1992.

In addition to computers he designed cars, ships, electronic devices and furniture; anything that 'centred on technically complex problems'.

In the avant garde of the field, his work was often recognised by the numerous awards and accolades he received throughout his career. Some of his most recent honours include the German Design Council lifetime achievement award in 2009, Honorary Doctorate from the University of North Carolina in 2010, and Cross of the Order of Merit from the president of the Federal Republic of Germany in 2012.

'Tempus fugit. Another of my maestros leaves,' said Alberto Alessi while paying his tribute to Sapper, with whom he worked for almost 40 years and regarded as a close associate. 'He was unequalled for his surgical precision in translating the presences of his imaginary into real industrial products close to perfection.'

Alessi asked Sapper to design the company's first espresso maker, the 9090, in 1979. Selected for the New York MoMA Permanent Design Collection, some of Alessi's most 'iconic and timeless products' of the past decades, including the Kettle with melodic whistle (1983); La cintura di Orione (1987) pots and pans collection; the watch Uri-uri (1988) and the cheese grater Todo (2004), were designed by Sapper.

'We are saddened to report the passing of Richard Sapper,' read a statement from international furniture manufacturer Knoll. '[He is] remembered at Knoll for his 1979 Sapper Executive Chair and Management Chair and his 2009 Sapper Monitor Arm.'

The two chairs dominated boardrooms and executives' offices in the Eighties.

Designed to solve to an 'imposed seating' problem, Sapper was reported to have adapted a metal bumper into a makeshift seating frame while also working as a design consultant at FIAT, in 1978, to conceive the design.

'Although Sapper worked across multiple industries, pioneering use, visual elegance and market accessibility have always remained hallmarks of his approach to design,'said Knoll.

Sapper is also remembered for his commitment to design education, both in the UK and across the world. Throughout his career, Sapper taught at the RCA in London; Yale, Vienna's Hochschule für Angewandte Kunst; the Domus Academy, Milan and the Central Academy for Art and Design, Beijing, to name only a few.

This year Sapper's monograph, edited by Knoll designer Jonathan Olivares, is published by Phaidon in June. It will feature images from Sapper's own archive and specially commissioned photography.