Alessi Italian espresso maker Metal Metal. Dimensions: Ø 7.5 x H
23.5 cm – L 18 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 La Conica coffee maker was designed in 1984 by
Aldo Rossi (1931 – 1997), one of the greatest Italian architects of the
second half of the 20th century who was the first Italian designer to receive
the prestigious Pritzker Prize for Architecture. Thanks to a sophisticated play
of pure volumes, Aldo Rossi has designed a coffee maker that’s made history
thanks to its lines which are both essential and unique. This version, “La
Conica manico lungo”, is the first created by the designer, before he made the
modifications that were to meet the constraints imposed by mass production.
Here, La Conica returns to its original shape, with a long blue handle, a nod to
the coffee makers of yesteryear which the Milanese designer loved so much. An
innovative design that twists the codes of the coffee maker, such a traditional
typology in Italy. The long handle enhances the image of this timeless object.
The body of the coffee maker, which soars upwards like a building, is topped by
a surprising conical shape, which becomes the distinctive marker of this small
work of domestic architecture. A future collector’s piece, this creation is
dedicated to all fans of Aldo Rossi and his unrivalled talent for translating
his architectural language into small works of design. It will appeal to anyone
who appreciates objects with “strong narrative content”: an invitation to
discover, in a new, original version, one of the greatest design icons of the
20th century. Very robust, this 3-cup coffee maker set is made of 18/10
stainless steel. The slightly prominent copper base ensures optimal thermal
conduction and perfect stability. The elongated handle provides a secure grip by
preventing the user from having their hand come close to the body of the coffee
maker. Suitable for gas burners, as well as electric and ceramic hobs (do not
use on an induction hob).
