Alessi Italian espresso maker Metal Metal. Dimensions: Ø 11 x H
17.5 cm – Volume: 15 cl. Notice to collectors, design fans and everyone
who’d like to rediscover the essential figures of Italian design! The iconic
Italian brand Alessi is celebrating its 100th anniversary with the “Alessi
100 Values Collection”: this collection celebrates the values that define the
identity and practice of the Dream Factory (Fabbrica dei Sogni). A collection
of surprising objects, from the Alessi Museum's Archive Fund, which includes
projects that have never been produced before, brand-new versions of cult
objects as well as icons in the making. Twelve projects, each referring to a
different value, will be presented over twelve months, from May 2021 to April
2022. Alessi 100 Values Collection celebrates 100 years of applied arts
research and the start of a new century of experimentation. The sixth value
highlighted by Alessi is Research Lab. A story told by two iconic coffee makers
offered here in their draft versions, which express this research beautifully:
Aldo Rossi's La conica Manico lungo and Richard Sapper's 9090 Manico
forato. These design essays from the Alessi archives have never been produced
before. 20th-century design icons that return to their original form, as
originally created by their designer. Alberto Alessi explains: “For me, Alessi
is an industrial research laboratory, where the infinite number of creative
possibilities interact with the needs, or rather the dreams, of the public. In
all, several hundred of the most inspiring designers from different eras that
the company has known have collaborated with us. Their work has been the subject
of a documentary archive kept in our museum. Two particularly interesting
examples of this dimension at Alessi are the “9090” coffee maker by Richard
Sapper and Aldo Rossi’s “La conica”, of which we present here two
“design essays” which have never been produced, taken from our archives. The
first model has a perforated, coloured handle, created by its German designer to
limit heat conduction when preparing coffee. The second has a long side handle,
like the “cuccuma”, the old Italian coffee maker often seen in the creations
of the Milanese designer. The 9090 coffee maker was designed in 1978 by
Richard Sapper (1932 – 2015). Born in Munich in 1932 and having arrived in
Milan in the 1950s, Richard Sapper is considered one of the masters of Italian
design, an eleven-time winner of the Compasso d’Oro Prize. This “9090 Manico
Forato” version is the first created by the designer, before he made the
modifications that would meet the constraints imposed by mass production. It has
a perforated steel handle. A series of small holes extend over the entire
length of the handle, which promote better thermal dispersion: an element as
functional as it is aesthetically expressive. For the occasion, this handle is
available in bright red instead of the usual burnished steel finish. The only
colour present in Richard Sapper's work, red was used by the designer to
emphasise the moving elements and joints in his creations. The position and
surprising shape of the lever knob make it easy to lift the lid with just one
hand. The widened base of the coffee maker allows the water to boil quickly,
increases heat conduction from the hob, provides optimised use for induction and
protects the handle from flames when used on gas. The flat-cup spout lets you
pour the coffee cleanly. The linear design of the few elements that make up the
9090 coffee maker is actually the result of a complex manufacturing process
that requires more than a hundred operations. A future collector’s piece,
this creation is dedicated to all fans of Richard Sapper and those who
appreciate objects with “strong narrative content”: an invitation to
discover, in a new, original version, one of the greatest design icons of the
20th century. Protected by no less than five utility certificates, this
revolutionary functional coffee maker has been awarded the Compasso d'Oro Prize
and features in the permanent collections of the greatest design museums.
Richard Sapper: “I wanted to give this coffee maker some features that others
don’t have, like being able to open and wash it with just one hand. I wanted
to make better use of the heat source, which is why the base was enlarged.
I didn't want a plastic handle, because they always end up getting burnt and
the coffee maker ends up in the bin. And then I wanted to make a coffee maker
that didn't look like one… This kind of espresso maker is nothing like a
regular coffee maker: it's a real little steam engine! ‘’. Very robust,
this 3-cup espresso maker made entirely of steel is almost indestructible.
It’s suitable for all hobs, including induction.
