Rolf Fehlbaum

Rolf Peter Fehlbaum ( born April 6, 1941 in Basel) is Emeritus Chairman ( Chairman Emeritus ) and an active member of the board of Vitra AG, a family-owned company active in the field of furniture production, with headquarters in Birsfelden, Switzerland.

He headed the company, which he sees as " cultural- economic project ", from 1977 to 2013. Under his leadership, Vitra has developed into a well-known brand. This was achieved on the one hand by working with leading contemporary designers and the other by the expansion of the production site in southern Germany Weil am Rhein on the Vitra Campus, which includes amongst others, the Vitra Design Museum (1989 ) and opened in 2010, Vitra house belong.

Training and initial professional activities

Rolf Fehlbaum was born in 1941 as the eldest son of Willi and Erika Fehlbaum in Basel. After graduation he began a study of the social sciences in Freiburg im Breisgau, which he later continued in Munich, Bern and Basel. He graduated in 1967 with a thesis on Edgar Salin about Saint-Simonism from which in 1970 published under the title of Saint- Simon and the Saint -Simonians as a book.

Following the study Rolf Fehlbaum worked for a short time at his parents' company. During this time he founded in 1968 together with friends a multiples publisher named XartCollection. In 1970 he moved to Munich to work as an editor and producer for Munich Bavaria Film Society. Between 1973 and 1977 he worked as a consultant for education and training in the Bavarian Chamber of Architects.

Vitra

The company, founded by Willi and Erika Fehlbaum Vitra, which worked initially mainly in the field of shop fitting, had 1957 begun, the furniture of the American Herman Miller Collection (especially designs by Charles Eames and Ray Eames and George Nelson ) for the European produce market under license. In 1967 the company 's revolutionary Panton Chair brought to the market. Since the early 1970s, Vitra lined up on the office furniture market. The at that time a new idea to combine ergonomics and good design, proved to be successful. In 1977, Rolf Fehlbaum the line of Vitra. In the following years a number of new products developed. 1984, existing since 1957 partnership with Herman Miller was terminated by mutual agreement. As a result, the rights were transferred to the designs of Charles and Ray Eames and George Nelson for Europe and Middle East at Vitra.

For the radiance of the company was in 1981 after a devastating fire incipient expansion of the Vitra production facility in Weil am Rhein Vitra Campus of great importance. Commissioned by Fehlbaum internationally known architects designed a diverse group of buildings that goes far beyond the experts but also attracted attention and has become a tourist highlight in the Basel region. An important factor was initiated by faulty tree Vitra Design Museum. Founded in 1989 and housed in a building designed by Frank O. Gehry, it has been found by its exhibition program international recognition. In the context of the company's history, the Vitra editions of 1987 was important. At the invitation of incorrect tree designed designer and artist furniture objects, usually with experimental or manifestartigem character that were produced in limited numbers. Remarkable in design historical point appears next to it in 1993, initiated by faulty tree research and exhibition project " Citizen Office. Ideas and notes to a new office world ", which culminated in a traveling exhibition of the Vitra Design Museum. In cooperation with Andrea Branzi, Michele De Lucchi, Ettore Sottsass and James Irvine office doing a vision was developed, which was based on the then revolutionary idea that the office is not only a job, but at the same time constitutes a habitat. The ensuing idea to consider in the design of offices also the emotional and social needs of employees, has since exercised a lasting influence in the formulation of contemporary office concepts.

After the 1970s to the late 1990s, the focus of Vitra was directed to the area of ​​office furniture, faulty tree led to a reorientation 2002 that involved also the world of the living. In the context of a discussion process with Jasper Morrison and the brothers Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec, the based on the idea of collage concept of the Vitra Home Collection was developed. The 2004 launched Vitra collection includes classic and contemporary designs. In 2005, Rolf Fehlbaum withdrew from operative management of Vitra. Until 1 July 2013, he was Chairman of the Board ( Chairman of the Board) by Vitra and has since been active as Chairman Emeritus and Board of Directors for the company.

Design and architecture as life issues

Due to the volume of business of his parents came Rolf Fehlbaum early into contact with designer figures like George Nelson and Charles and Ray Eames - first primarily as an interpreter for his father. 1960 offered several months visit to the USA opportunity to meet with George Nelson in New York, the Eames in Los Angeles and with Alexander Girard in New Mexico. Especially at Nelson developed a close relationship, which was responsible for the design understanding of false tree of formative importance. At Herman Miller in Zeeland, Michigan, missing tree also learned a novel for him, fixed solely on the business end corporate culture know who influenced him greatly.

Already in the 1960s, but increasingly starting in the 1970s moved the Italian design in the focus of Fehlbaums interest. This resulted in the 1979 begun and continues to this day cooperation between Vitra and Mario Bellini. The connection to the Italian design remained important. 1985 began the collaboration with Antonio Citterio. 1994 joined with Alberto Meda, a third Italian to do so. In accordance with the general design development, Fehlbaums horizon expanded in the late 1980s. The first Vitra Edition 1987 is just as an indication of how the 1989 onset collaboration with Jasper Morrison. Similarly, intensive collaborations like with him arose since then with Maarten van Severen, the brothers Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec as well as Hella Jongerius. Even with a number of graphic designers Fehlbaum worked together over a long period of time. Pierre Mendell has coined many years the visual appearance of Vitra and the well-known word mark designed with the point. In the 1990s, there was an intense, even personally close relationship with Tibor Kalman, from which emerged among other things, the book "Chairman Rolf Fehlbaum " published in 1998. Recently, there was a similar cooperation with Cornel Windlin, who designed the first Vitra Home Catalogs and 2008 Fehlbaum the publication " Project Vitra " designed, in which the story will be presented the self and the company's products.

The second main theme of incorrect tree, the architecture developed. In the early 1980s he worked with Nicholas Grimshaw, he asked after a devastating fire at the company premises in Weil am Rhein with the construction of factory buildings and the development of a master plan for the site. But Inspired by the acquaintance with Frank O. Gehry he advanced the mid-1980s by the plan associated with Grimshaw's idea of ​​corporate architecture in favor of a pluralistic concept. Since then, Zaha Hadid ( fire station, 1993), Tadao Ando (conference pavilion, 1993), Alvaro Siza factory building erected on the hamlet Vitra complex buildings such diverse architects such as Frank O. Gehry ( Vitra Design Museum and fabrication hall, 1989), (, 1994), Herzog & de Meuron ( Vitra House, 2010) and SANAA (production building, 2011). Apart from the two most recent projects, it was architects who were commissioned by faulty tree before they developed into those international "stars", as you know it today. His election to the jury of the Pritzker Prize, which he belonged from 2004 to 2010, was a recognition of his commitment to contemporary architecture. In addition to his role as an entrepreneur and builder defects tree is also a collector. A resulting from personal hobby primarily collection of Japanese toy robots documented his interest in everyday life or popular culture. In the early 1980s, initiated collection of industrial furniture design, however, played from beginning to professional motives play a role. They formed the basis for the collection of the Vitra Design Museum, whose expansion Fehlbaum today actively supported.

Awards (selection)

Works

• Saint- Simon and the Saint -Simonians. From Laissez- Faire to economic planning. Thesis, University of Basel. Kyklos -Verlag, Basel 1970.
• Cornel Windlin, Rolf Fehlbaum (Ed. ): Project Vitra. Sites, Products, Authors, Museum, Collections, character; Chronicle, glossary. 2nd revised edition. Birkhäuser, Basel 2008, ISBN 978-3-7643-8592-7.