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Ben Swildens, born in 1938, is a Dutch
designer who spent his childhood
traveling from country to country with
his father, an architect. In Morocco,
at the American school in Tangiers,
he learned Arabic and Spanish, and
discovered drawing by imitating his
father. After a period at the Polytechnic
in Switzerland, Ben Swildens enrolled at
the Ecole Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs
in Paris, where he took his diploma in
1961. He began his career working for his
professors, great creative artisans of the
time, as well as for private companies.
From 1962 to 1969, he collaborated with
French master glassmaker and decorator
Max Ingrand on numerous projects
such as the headquarters of EDF and
Peugeot, Lima airport, the Parliament
building in Beirut and the Musée de
Genève. Mas Ingrand would inspire Ben
to go into industrial design. With his
brother-in-law Bernard Cohen – future
founder of the Parisian boutique Merci –
Swildens launched Point, the company
that produces and sells the furniture he
designs.
Ben Swildens, nato nel 1938, è un designer di origine olandese. Costretto a
cambiare paese sin da piccolo a causa della professione del padre, architetto, lo
segue in particolare in Marocco dove, alla scuola americana di Tangeri, imparerà
l’arabo e lo spagnolo, imitando il padre attraverso il disegno. Dopo un passaggio
al Politecnico in Svizzera, Ben Swildens si iscrive all’Ecole Supérieure des Arts
Décoratifs di Parigi dove si diplomerà nel 1961. Inizia a lavorare per i suoi
professori, grandi artigiani creativi dell’epoca, ma anche per aziende private.
A partire dal 1962 e fino al 1969, collabora con il maestro vetraio e decoratore
francese Max Ingrand, a numerosi progetti come la sede sociale di EDF o
Peugeot, l’aeroporto di Lima, il Parlamento di Beirut o ancora il Musée de
Genève. Lo stesso Max Ingrand spingerà Ben Swildens a occuparsi di industrial
design.
Ben Swildens
UOVO
