Milano, Italy
Matteo Thun was born in Bolzano in 1952. Matteo Thun studied at the Academy of Salzburg under Oskar Kokoschka and graduated in 1975 from his architectural studies at the University of Florence. In 1978 he moved to Milan, met Ettore Sottsass and in 1981 co-founded Sottsass Associati and the Memphis Group. In 1984 he founded his own studio and worked for Swatch, whose art director he was from 1990 to 1993. From 1983 to 2000 he was professor of design and ceramics at the “University of Applied Arts” in Vienna. In 2001 he founded Matteo Thun + Partners, a multicultural architecture and design studio headquartered in Milan with a subsidiary in Shanghai. The company operates internationally and has been developing hospitality, residential, headquarters, retail and urban design projects and master planning for more than 20 years. Together with his partner Antonio Rodriguez, the office employs 70 experts from the fields of architecture, design and communication. Antonio Rodriguez has been partnering with Matteo Thun since 2003. They established an architecture, interior, styling and product design firm, with offices in Milan and Shanghai, creating and developing specific Asian projects with Italian creativity. The constant research for simplicity and functionality generates timeless and iconic design, away from being solely visual or zeitgeisty. The proven competence in product and interior design is based on the close dialogue with clients’ technical experts always striving for innovation.