Charpin/Mendini show, Paris

A new exhibition at Galerie Kreo in Paris, 'All'aperto', brings together two heavyweights in European design – Frenchman Pierre Charpin and Italian legend Alessandro Mendini – in a celebration of the beauty, nuance and function of mosaic furniture art. A bench, a table, a vase, even a solid reproduction of Mendini’s famous Proust Armchair are on show, meticulously covered in colourful Bisazza tiles for an effect that feels almost surreal, like digital 3-D sketches brought brilliantly to life.

Click here to see more from the show.

The geometry, colour and visual simplicity are typical of Charpin. Likewise, Mendini has always been a keen collaborator, with a prolific career spanning the fields of architecture, design, art, publishing, fashion and even performance.

The most striking, covetable piece has to be the sleek, technicolour bench, shaped by Charpin and patterned by Mendini. The pieces are all signed, limited edition and will be on show until the end of July.

27 May 2008 | Art