Robert Haussmann Biography
Robert Haussmann was born in 1931 in Switzerland. His father was an upholsterer and interior decorator, and from a young age, Haussmann learned to artistically manipulate all kinds of materials. During his studies at the Zurich School of Applied Arts and the Amsterdam School of Arts and Crafts, Haussmann was influenced by the ideas of modernism. He studied with Bauhaus icons such as Johannes Iten and Johan Niegemann, as well as with Gerrit Rietveld, representative of the De Stijl group, to which Piet Mondrian also belonged. In 1967, Haussmann married Trix Kelterborn-Högl, who adopted his surname. Since their marriage, the couple founded the "Allgemeine Entwurfsanstalt Zürich". One of the first works born from the collaboration between the two is a series of dysfunctional chairs, including one that appears to melt like chocolate and a "Maso-Chair" that promises not comfort, but pain - and fun in the destruction of the concept of "gute Form" ("good form"). In 1977 they published a series of "Lehrstück" (educational pieces) illustrating how the new can be created by combining the old. From 1986 to 1998, he also worked as a professor of architectural design at the State Academy of Fine Arts in Stuttgart. In 2013, he and his wife received the Swiss Grand Prix for Design from the Federal Office of Culture. Haussmann died on September 21, 2021 in Zurich.
