Download PDF (670 K)Marcel Wanders grew up in Boxtel, the Netherlands, and graduated cum laude from the School of the Arts Arnhem in 1988. Currently, he is an independent industrial product designer operating from Amsterdam where he runs his own studio designing products and interiors for the best international labels, including Moooi (of which he is art director), Cappellini, Bisazza, Mandarina Duck, B&B Italia, Vitra, Kartell, Moroso, Cassina, Droog Design, Flos and Boffi. He also works on architectural projects as well as interior design.
Wanders collaborates in other design-related projects such as the Vitra Summer Workshop where he has served as a project leader and he is among the first and most important designers of Droog design. Wanders has been a juror for various prizes such as the Rotterdam Design Prize (for which his own products were nominated several times) and the Kho Liang Ie prize. He lectured at SFMoMA, Limn, the Design Academy, Nike, IDFA, FutureDesignDays and has taught at various design academies in the Netherlands and abroad. For 2004 he has been chosen as the editor of the International Design Year Book. Currently Wanders is working on a Monograph by Phaidon.
Designs of Marcel Wanders have been selected for the most important design collections and exhibitions in the world, like the Museum of Modern Art in New York and San Francisco, the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, Museum Boijmans van Beuningen in Rotterdam and various Droog Design exhibitions.
Coverage on Marcel has been published in all leading design magazines such as Domus, Interni, Blueprint, Design Report, Frame, I.D. magazine, Arbitare, Surface, Wallpaper, Nylon, View on Colour, Elle decoration, Icon, Esquire, the Financial Times and Business Week.
1963
Born in Boxtel, The Netherlands.
Education
1985–1988
Hogeschool voor de Kunsten, Arnhem, 1988 Cum Laude Certificate
1983–1985
Academie voor Schone kunsten, Hasselt (Belgium)
1982–1985
Academie voor Toegepaste kunsten, Maastricht
1981–1982
Academie voor Industriële Vormgeving, Eindhoven (now called the Design Academy)
Chronology
2001 – present
Independent industrial product designer,
Director of Marcel Wanders studio, Amsterdam
Art-director and co-owner of Moooi, Amsterdam
Art-director and co-owner of LUTE SUITES, Amsterdam
1995 – June 2001
Director of Wanders Wonders, Amsterdam
1992 – 1995
Partner in WAAC's Design & Consults, Rotterdam.
October 1991
Design and execution of the Installation "and on the eighth day men started to lie" in the Kunstpassage in The Hague.
1990 – 1992
Industrial product designer in Landmark Design & Consult b.v. Rotterdam
July 1988 – present Independent industrial product designer
Major Projects
B&B Italia (I) interior accesories.
Bisazza (I) design of a table, a car and several other project.
Boffi (I) design of bathroom products
Cacharel (F) design of a perfume
Cappellini (I) design and realization of the Knotted chair, a highly innovative high tech product, since then a constant flow of new innovative designs among other things, Nomad Carpet, the Big Shadow collection, the Airborne Snotty vases and the Wood table.
Droog Design (NL) diverse design projects, such as Tableau Vivant (tableware for the French governor of Alsace).
Flos (I) design of a collection of lamps, starting with B.L.O.
Hotel on Rivington, (Ny, NY, USA), interior of public areas.
Interpolis (NL) Stone house, interior project for an insurance company, consisting of organic meeting rooms
within the headquarters.
Kartell (I) diverse design projects.
LUTE SUITES, (NL), art-direction of the interiors of apartments/hotel suites in Amsterdam.
Magis (I) design of a collection of plastic consumer products, a.o. Pebbles (stool/container), Eppo (chair) and Flare (table with changeable leg-patterns).
Mandarina Duck (I) design of a collection of bags and a collection of jewelry, interior design WanderDuck, the flagship store in London (opened September 2002).
Ministerie van Buitenlandse Zaken/ Foreign Affairs (NL) Interior of the Dutch Embassy in Berlin
Moooi (NL) diverse design projects (City, Container table, Oblique, Bottoni), art-director.
Moroso (I) diverse design projects.
Royal Tichelaar Makkum (NL) 'Patchwork' series of 30 differently decorated plates, made using different original plates from the traditional collection of Royal Tichelaar Makkum. All plates are partly printed, partly painted by hand and are used in random combinations on the table
Swarovski (A) & Flos (I) design of Pirouette, a lamp which consists of a curtain of lighting crystals which forms different patterns
Worldexpo Hannover (D) design of the VIP room in the Dutch pavilion
Other Projects
Air UK (UK) design of an in-flight service together with Disc and Partners
Apple Europe (CH) design of a routing system for an Apple symposium
Artifort (NL) design of a multi-purpose chair
Bombay Sapphire (USA and NL) design for two glasses
British Midland (UK) design of an in-flight service together with Disc and partners, the Netherlands
City of Amsterdam (NL) design of street furniture and design of gas- and energy-houses
Stichting Floriade 2002 (NL) design and realization of prizes
Koninklijke Tichelaar Makkum (NL) design of ceramic accessories and "Patchwork" a series of ceramic plates
Ministry of Culture (NL) design of an in-flight service for KLM
Ministry of External affairs (NL) design of a box with 'candle-vases' as present by the minister of external affairs
Ministry of Internal affairs (NL) design and realization of an injection molded cardcase
Ministry of Finance (NL) design of a jubilee-coin
Organon Teknika (NL) design of a pregnancy tester for clinical use, and a mobile hart-rhythm disorder analyzer
Royal PTT Post (NL) design and realization of different relational gifts
De Ster (NL) design of in-flight services and other catering related plastic products for a great number of airline- and railway companies
Stork Refac (S) design of a series of split air conditioners
Other Activities
2004
Lecturer, Museum of Art & Design, NY,NY, USA (November 2004)
Editor of Design Yearbook
Lecturer Siemens, Amsterdam, The Netherlands (June 2004)
Lecturer ING, Bank, Amsterdam, The Netherlands (September 2004)
Lecturer, Design Festival, Portland, USA (October 2004)
2003
Lecturer at FutureDesignDays, Boras, Sweden (november 2003)
Lecturer at IDSA, NYC USA (july 2003)
Lecturer at Nike, Amsterdam, The Netherlands (may 2003)
Lecturer at Triodos Bank, Zeist, The Netherlands (may 2003)
2002
Lecturer at VSM congress
Lecturer at Baby, NL (May 2002)
Lecturer at Corcoran Gallery of Art , Washington DC, USA (March 2002)
Lecturer at Rice Design Alliance, Houston, USA (January 2002)
Lecturer at Sunset Settings, Houston, USA (January 2002)
2001
Project leader of Vitra Summer Workshop. France
Lecturer at Limn, San Francisco, USA
Lecturer at the Design Academy, the Netherlands
2000
Juror for the 'Kho Liang Ie' award
Juror for the Françoise van den Bosch prize
Project leader of Vitra Summer Workshop
Lecturer at SFMoMa
Lecturer on 2000 trendforecast at the Netherlands interior institute
Lecturer on trendforecast at the Netherlands fashion forecast institute
1999
Publication of the book "Wanders Wonders, design for a new age"
1998
Project leader in one-week workshop at the Academie voor Toegepaste Kunsten Maastricht
Lecture on personal insights and Droog Design, Domus Academy, Milano
1997
Juror for the Limperg award
1996
Lecture on personal & professional insights (Sandberg institute, Rietveld Academie, Eternally Yours congress, Hogeschool voor de Kunsten Utrecht, Vormgevingsinstituut)
Public interview, Spiritual Academy Brahma Kumaris, Amsterdam
1996-1999
Juror for the national foundation of design
Forum discussion 'Biogenetics and product design', Rotterdam Art Foundation
Forum discussion 'Ambacht en modernisme' kaAp Arnhem
Lecture for Foundation Eternally Yours on lifetime elongation of products
1995
Juror for the Rotterdam Design Prize 1995
1994 – 1995
Member of the programme committee of foundation 'de Gymzaal'
1994
Guest teacher at the 'Academie voor Schone Kunsten' Hasselt, Belgium
1993-1994
Teacher at the 'Rietveld Academie', Amsterdam
1993
Revenue-officer at the 'Hogeschool voor de Kunsten' Arnhem
Series of publications in 'Vormberichten' together with Ed Annink (pseudonym, Leo)
1992-1993
Teacher at the 'Academie voor Industriële Vormgeving' Eindhoven
1992
Juror Rotterdam Design Prize 1992
1992-present
Droog Design' member
Project leader, seminar games, 'Hogeschool voor de Kunsten', Utrecht
1991-1993
Teacher at the 'Academie voor Industriële Vormgeving Eindhoven'
1990
Teacher at the 'Rietveld Academie' Amsterdam
1989-1991
Teacher at the 'Hogeschool voor de Kunsten' Rotterdam
1989
Lecture at the 'Rietveld Academie' Amsterdam
1988
Lecture at the 'Technische Universiteit' Delft
1987
Project leader, workshop raster, 'Technische Universiteit' Delft
Awards
2004
Winner of the Löberschütz design competition in Munich with a design and brand for a new water bottle.
Nominated for "Designer of the year", Blueprint magazine
Nominated for 2004 World Technology Award by The World Technology Network, in association with Nasdaq, Microsoft, Time Magazine and Science Magazine.
2003
Selected amongst the european 25 leaders of change by business week (usa)
Winner of Elle Decoration International Design Award 2003 for "Patchwork plates", ceramic tableware series Winner of Vredeman de Vries Vormgevingsprijs 2003 for "Patchwork plates", ceramic tableware series FX award for Moooi Collection; 'best furniture or lighting for residential interiors'
2002
Man of the Year 2002, MAN (Dutch magazine)
Nominated for the Elle Deco International Design Awards 2002; best designer of the year Nomination for the Elle Deco International Design Awards 2002; best bath product of the year with the whole range of bath products for Boffi.
Nominated for the Dedalus prize (one of the 5 finalists).
2001
Nominated for "Designer of the Year" category in WIRED Magazine's 2001 WIRED Rave Awards
2000
Nomination Rotterdam Design Prize
Nomination Rotterdam Design Prize
George Nelson Award, Interiors Magazine
Alterpoint Design Award 2000, Milano
Nominated for the best bathroom-design in the Benelux
1999
Double nomination Rotterdam Design Prize
1998
Winner of the 'Woonbeurspin'
Honorable mention in the 'Compasso d'Oro'
1997
Nomination Ava Ceramic award
1996
Kho Liang Ie consolation prize
1993
Nomination Rotterdam Design Prize
1990
3th prize design contest 'Staande lamp', indoor Amsterdam
1989
1st prize design contest 'Verzamelband', iON Rotterdam
1986
'1st prize in the design contest, 'Olympic design 1992'
1st prize in the design contest, 'Café Modern (Nescafé)
Exhibitions
2004
Passagen, Koln, (DE)
Stockholm Furniture fair, Stockholm (S)
Reality Machines, Parochial Kirche, Berlijn (DE)
Interior Design Show, Toronto (CA)
Salone del Mobile, Milano (IT)
Design Lab Nike, Portland (USA)
ICFF presentation at Moss, New York, (USA)
100% Rotterdam, Rotterdam (NL)
Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam (NL), several times with a.o.: Cans of Gold, Airborne Snotties.
Bulthaup Center, Design Gallery, St Petersburg (RU)
100% design, London (UK)
Creativity Observatory, Genova 2004, curated by Alessandro and Francesco Mendini (IT)
Woonrai, Amsterdam (NL)
'via Milano 04', Amsterdam (NL)
Designers Present, Eindhoven, (NL): one-minute-sculptures
Cibone, Tokyo, (JP): special Container Table covers
"The foreign affairs of Dutch Design", BNO travelling exhibition, (NL): Pipe, Airborne Snotty Vase,
Mandarina Duck
2003
Kunst Woont "in 24 uur" VIP chair and Knotted chair, Groningen, NL
Can of Gold project London at Noel Hennesy Furniture, GB
"Stoelendans" public vote contest for a new classic chair, nominated
VIP chair and Knotted chair, Eindhoven, NL
Woonbeurs Amsterdam RAI, Via Milano, highlights of Salone del Mobili, Amsterdam, NL Museum Boijmans van Beuningen, Exhibition "het onstaan der Dingen", Rotterdam, NL
Salone del Mobili, presentation of light installation 'Pirouette' for Swarovski Crystal Palace, Milano, IT
Salone del Mobili (a.o. Cappellini, Moooi, Magis, Flos, Droog Design, Goods), Milano, IT
Reality Machines, Netherlands Architecture Institute (NAI), Rotterdam, NL
2002
The Design Center at Philadelphia University, USA
Body Design, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA)
Strangely Familiair: Design and Everyday Life, Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, USA
Skin: Surface, Subtance + Design, Cooper-Hewitt, New York, USA
Prototypes, Nieuwe Brabantse Kunst Stichting, NL
Kunstpaviljoen, Nieuw Rhoden, Groningen, the Netherlands
Via Milano, Baby, NL
Milan in a Van – one designer show, Victoria & Albert Museum, London, UK
River Deep, Mountain High, Het Glazen Huis/The Glass House, Amsterdam Amstelpark, NL opening new showroom of Moooi in Breda, the Netherlands
Prototypes, Museum Waterland, Purmerend, NL
Salone del Mobile (a.o. Cappellini, Moooi, Magis, Mandarina Duck, Droog Design, Chia paura)
Apartment Zero, Washington, USA
Home Made Holland, Crafts Council Gallery, London, UK
2001
Limn (design interior shop), San Francisco, USA
'Marcel Wanders, moooi in Amstelveen', wooncentrum Co van der Horst, Amstelveen Works of moooi in 't Arsenaal, Grave (NL), the newest store of Jan des Bouvrie
'Van A tot Zit', the fishnet chair will appear in this exhibition amongst other chairs, Stedelijk Museum Roermond
Salone del Mobile (a.0. Cappellini, Moooi, Magis, Mandarina Duck, Droog Design, Goods)
2000
Mutazioni dilumingioia, Padova, Italy
Search for Art exhibition, Milan, Italy
Hitec-Lotec exhibition, travelling through England until 2002
Dutch Design', in Ozone, Living Design Centre, Tokyo
Wanders Wanted expo, in Gallery Material Connection, NY USA
'Design World' in Taideteollisuusmuseo, Helsinki, Finland
Droog design exhibition travelling through USA
Droog Design exhibition, Israel Museum, Israel
1999
'Wanders Wonders expo' in Galery TZ Art, New York, USA
1998
'Material innovation gallery' in Material Connexion, New York USA 'Materials in design' in Östereichisches Institut für Formgebung, Vienna, Austria
IAA, int. Automobil Ausstellung, Frankfurt, Germany
New Metropolis, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
Euromat 1998, Lissabon, Portugal
Hannover Messe, Hannover, Germany
De Witte Dame, Eindhoven, the Netherlands
Batibouw, parc des expositions, Brussels, Belgium
1997
'The Ecology Series 1 Glamour' in Material Connexion, New York, USA
'Mutant Materials in contemporary design' in Groninger museum, Groningen, the Netherlands
'Ava Ceramic Award' in Princessenhof, Leeuwarden, the Netherlands
'Droog Design' in Taideteolisuusmuseo, Helsinki, Finland
Kulturbrauerei, Zentrum für Kultur, Politik und Okologie
Centraal Museum, Utrecht, the Netherlands
Stillwerk Design Center GmbH, Hamburg, Germany
'Materials in design' in Tekniska Mässan, Stockholm, Sweden
Industrial Technologie Congres, Toulouse, France
The institute of materials, London, United Kingdom
'Salone di Mobile' in Magazzini Cappellini, Milano, Italy
1996
'Nominations Rotterdam Design Prize', Kunsthal, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
'Scanning' in Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
'Tresholds' in MOMA, New York, USA
'Dry tech' in Droog Design, Milano, Italy
'Mentalitäten' in Design Zentrum, Stuttgart, Germany
1995
'Mentalitäten' in Securitas Galerie, Bremen, Germany
1993
'An art collection of combs' in Mikimoto, Ginza, Tokio, Japan
'Made in Holland' in Museum für angewandte Kunst, Köln, Germany
'World-expo' in World Expo, Taipé, Taiwan
'Droog Design, selection of Dutch design' in Pastoe showroom, Milano, Italy
1992
'Materiaal, stof voor vormgeving' in Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
'Dutch Design' in ITB, Bandung, Indonesia
1990
'Embarrassment of riches' in EEG congres, Avignon, France