Michael Graves the post war architect and industrial designer best known for his bold references to classical architecture and a wide use of geometry has died, age 80. Graves bridged abstraction with Modernism and Postmodernism and was known as part of the New York Five.
He founded Michael Graves Architecture & Design (MGA&D) and it was the firm that announced his death publicly. “It is with deep sadness that Michael Graves Architecture & Design (MGA&D) announces the firm’s Founding Principal Michael Graves has passed away today, suddenly and peacefully, of natural causes. He was in his home in Princeton, New Jersey”.
“Since founding the firm in 1964, Michael transformed the role of architects and designers, and even the place of design in our everyday lives. For those of us who had the opportunity to work closely with Michael, we knew him as an extraordinary designer, teacher, mentor and friend. For the countless students that he taught for more than 40 years, Michael was an inspiring professor who encouraged everyone to find their unique design voice”. “Of all of his accomplishments, Michael often said that, like his own family, his proudest creation was his firm. As we go forward in our practice, we will continue to honor Michael’s humanistic design philosophy through our commitment to creating unique design solutions that transform people’s lives”.
Graves founded his own practice in 1964 in Princeton, New Jersey, and taught at Princeton’s school of architecture for more than 40 years. He was a prolific architect, Graves has also met with considerable success as an industrial designer, producing products for companies such as Alessi, Target and Black & Decker. He also won such prestigious honors as the Nation Medal of the Arts (1999), the AIA Gold Medal (2001), and the Driehaus Prize for Classical Architecture (2012).
Photo: 1987 Michael Graves, architect, Princeton, N.J. by Gotfryd, Bernard, photographer Creative Commons