Over the past four decades, Australian industrial designer Marc Newson has become one of the most influential creatives of his generation. A recent monograph by Alison Castle, published by Taschen, celebrates the span of his career.
Marc Newson is one of the world’s most influential contemporary designers and creatives. He’s worked with brands such as Hermès, Nike, Ferrari, Apple and Montblanc; his work has broken world price records at auction, and he’s frequently placed with Sir Jonathan Ive – his partner in the creative collective LoveFrom – at the top of the pantheon of living designers who have shaped our lives.
Newson’s works began appearing in the 1980s – and he is, in a sense, the bridge that connects the contemporary landscape with the mid-century generation of material and form pioneers such as Verner Panton, Eero Saarinen and Pierre Paulin, whose era drew to a close as Newson’s dawned. The space Newson inhabits is special: he’s an artist-designer who is also an industrial designer. These are the ones whose work encroaches most on our lives: the pen we pick up every day; the ergonomic seat we work on; the soap dish we see each morning.
Newson’s work has recently been collated for a new monograph by Alison Castle, Marc Newson Works 84–24, published by Taschen. We’ve chosen 6 of his most iconic designs from it:
1. Lockheed Lounge, 1988
Lockheed Lounge, 1988 Pod/Marc Newson Edition in riveted aluminium with rubberised paint (edition of 10 + 4 artist’s proofs [black feet] + 1 prototype [white feet]) © Marc Newson
Marc Newson’s 1988 Lockheed Lounge has become something of a legend. A record-holder for the most expensive object to be sold during its designer’s lifetime, they fetch around £1.5m ($2m) at auction. They are scarce – only 10 pieces exist, alongside a prototype with white feet and four artist’s proofs – and yet they possess one of the most recognisable silhouettes of any recliner since the 1950s.
Newson created the lounge for an exhibition at prestigious Australian art gallery Roslyn Oxley9 in 1986, carving the shape from a block of foam, sanding it and then cladding it with riveted panels of thin aluminium (the resemblance to WWII riveted aircraft giving the piece its Lockheed name). The Lockheed Lounge is in many ways the progenitor of what has since the early 2000s been known as collectible design.
2. Ford 021C Concept Car, 1999
First unveiled at the 1999 Tokyo Motor Show, the 021C was a Ford concept car designed by Marc Newson and built by Carrozzeria Ghia in Turin, Italy. Commissioned by Ford’s design director J Mays after seeing Newson’s Lockheed lounge chair in a Madonna video for the song Rain, the car’s 021C name comes from the code number of its orange Pantone colour. Newson tells us that “wanted to create a car that was simple, likeable, and fun” – a car along the lines of what a child might draw. The vehicle contained several innovations, including front seats that swivelled on pedestals and a dashboard with adjustable height. And while the car remains a concept and never went into production, what’s interesting is quite how well it has aged – it’s not at all difficult to see the 021C going into production as an idiosyncratic electric car today.
3. Cloisonné Desk, 2019
It might be categorised as furniture, but Marc Newson’s Cloisonné Desk was launched by the Gagosian gallery – alongside his Cloisonné Lounge and Chair. All three are sublime examples of freeform-sculpted shapes allied with the ancient technique of Cloisonné, whereby patterns in coloured glass paste within wire enclosures are baked onto metal in a kiln in a series of firings. The resulting enamel finish is defined, hard, lustrous and iridescent.
Of course, the technique is usually restricted to small boxes and vases; Newson went to China to find a workshop willing to take the project on – and even then, the scale required a custom-made kiln.
4. Telescope Concept, 2008
Marc Newson’s 2008 concept binoculars and telescopes are an example of a series of manufactured and concept optical devices created by the designer, all of which take a familiar object and elevate it to a blend of improved functionality and collectible-grade aesthetics.
Newson’s relationship with binoculars began in childhood, but the catalyst for working on them came with a commission from Swarovski’s optical division in 2008.
5. Voronoi Shelf, 2007
The monumental Voronoi Shelf in white Carrara marble – an edition of eight – was carved from a single block of marble and created for Gagosian. Described by Sotheby’s as “a tour de force of contemporary furniture”, the furniture is one of a series of marble pieces by Newson including his Extruded Chair (which is, of course, carved, not extruded).
The work’s name comes from the concept of Voronoi tessellation – a mathematical function involving the partitioning of a plane into evenly divided regions, each cell covering the region closest to one particular point. It’s a pattern seen throughout nature, from plant leaves to a giraffe’s fur.
6. Orgone Chair, 1993
A progression from the Lockheed Lounge, the Orgone Chair from 1993 represents an ongoing investigation into production processes and the fluidity of aluminium. Like the Lockheed, the Orgone is visually striking and sculptural, but it’s also notable for its hollowed-out appearance. Newson says: “Subconsciously, I think I started leaving holes and spaces because it seemed such a shame to cover up some very high-quality manufacturing and finishing. Both the interior and the exterior of the work merge together creating a fluid and utile object with a liminal space that draws the outer surface inside and vice versa: there is an interstice where the interior voids become the exterior legs.” He adds: “I do like the idea of creating negative space within forms.”