--- title: "Richard Sapper" url: "https://www.stylepark.com/en/designer/richard-sapper" language: "en" type: "designer" description: "Individual designer items from Richard Sapper ✓ Wide range of products & designs ➜ Get inspired now" published: "2001-05-01T00:00:00+02:00" modified: "2026-04-26T17:19:43+02:00" image: "https://www.stylepark.com/apple-touch-icon.png" --- # Richard Sapper Italy - [Biography](https://www.stylepark.com/en/designer/richard-sapper) - [Products](https://www.stylepark.com/en/products/designer/richard-sapper) - [Manufacturer](https://www.stylepark.com/en/designer/richard-sapper/manufacturer) - [Articles](https://www.stylepark.com/en/designer/richard-sapper/contributions) Address: ## Richard Sapper Italy Products by Richard Sapper [![NENA armchair](https://www.stylepark.com/assets/transformations/manufacturers/H/Hem/Produkte/Udon%20Chair,%20Black%20/%20Black%20Leather,%20Art.%20no.%2030176/_1410x940_crop_center-center_none/Slider_0_1137732_bebitalia_armchair_Nena_01.jpg)](https://www.stylepark.com/en/b-b-italia/nena-armchair) [B&B Italia NENA armchair](https://www.stylepark.com/en/b-b-italia/nena-armchair) [![NENA](https://www.stylepark.com/assets/transformations/manufacturers/H/Hem/Produkte/Udon%20Chair,%20Black%20/%20Black%20Leather,%20Art.%20no.%2030176/_1410x940_crop_0.5-0.6833_none/Nena_Richard-Sapper_BB-Italia_02.jpg)](https://www.stylepark.com/en/b-b-italia/nena) [B&B Italia NENA](https://www.stylepark.com/en/b-b-italia/nena) [![Tizio LED](https://www.stylepark.com/assets/transformations/manufacturers/d/delightfull/produkte/a/artemide/produkte/tizio-led/_1410x940_crop_center-center_none/tizio-led-1.jpg)](https://www.stylepark.com/en/artemide/tizio-led) [Artemide Tizio LED](https://www.stylepark.com/en/artemide/tizio-led) [![Sapper™ Executive Chair](https://www.stylepark.com/assets/transformations/manufacturers/k/knoll/produkte/sapper-executive-chair/_1410x940_crop_center-center_none/sapper-executive-chair-1.jpg)](https://www.stylepark.com/en/knoll/sapper-executive-chair) [Knoll Sapper™ Executive Chair](https://www.stylepark.com/en/knoll/sapper-executive-chair) [![Sapper™ Management Chair](https://www.stylepark.com/assets/transformations/manufacturers/k/knoll/produkte/sapper-management-chair/_1410x940_crop_center-center_none/sapper-management-chair-1.jpg)](https://www.stylepark.com/en/knoll/sapper-management-chair) [Knoll Sapper™ Management Chair](https://www.stylepark.com/en/knoll/sapper-management-chair) [![Sapper™ Visitor Chair](https://www.stylepark.com/assets/transformations/manufacturers/k/knoll/produkte/sapper-visitor-chair/_1410x940_crop_center-center_none/sapper-visitor-chair-1.jpg)](https://www.stylepark.com/en/knoll/sapper-visitor-chair) [Knoll Sapper™ Visitor Chair](https://www.stylepark.com/en/knoll/sapper-visitor-chair) [![Tizio X30](https://www.stylepark.com/assets/transformations/manufacturers/a/artemide/produkte/tizio-x30/_1410x940_crop_center-center_none/tizio-x30-1.jpg)](https://www.stylepark.com/en/artemide/tizio-x30) [Artemide Tizio X30](https://www.stylepark.com/en/artemide/tizio-x30) [![Tizio](https://www.stylepark.com/assets/transformations/manufacturers/a/artemide/produkte/tizio/_1410x940_crop_center-center_none/tizio-1.jpg)](https://www.stylepark.com/en/artemide/tizio) [Artemide Tizio](https://www.stylepark.com/en/artemide/tizio) [![Tizio Terra](https://www.stylepark.com/assets/transformations/manufacturers/a/artemide/produkte/tizio-terra/_1410x940_crop_center-center_none/tizio-terra-1.jpg)](https://www.stylepark.com/en/artemide/tizio-terra) [Artemide Tizio Terra](https://www.stylepark.com/en/artemide/tizio-terra) [All products](https://www.stylepark.com/en/products/designer/richard-sapper) Biography Richard Sapper, Sohn eines Malers und selbst ein hochbegabter Zeichner, studierte von 1952 bis 1956 an der Universität München Betriebswirtschaftslehre. Seinen breitgefächerten Interessen entsprechend belegte er aber auch Vorlesungen in so unterschiedlichen Fächern wie Philosophie, Anatomie, Grafik und Ingenieurwissenschaften. Er schloss sein Studium im Fach Betriebswirtschaftslehre ab mit einer Diplomarbeit über die wirtschaftlichen Probleme industrieller Formgestaltung. Nach se inem Studium war er bis 1958 in der Designabteilung bei Mercedes-Benz in Stuttgart tätig, wo er u. a. den stromlinienförmigen – und in jener Zeit stilbildenden – Außenspiegel des legendären Mercedes Benz 300 SL Roadster en twarf. 1958 übersiedelte Sapper nach Mailand, schon zu jener Zeit eine Hochburg des Avantgarde-Designs. Hier entwarf er bis zum Ende der 1960er-Jahre Gebrauchsgegenstände für renommierte Firmen wie La Rinascente oder Alessi, sowie für verschiedene Designstudios wie Giovanni Ponti, Alberto Rosselli und vor allem Marco Zanuso, mit dem er einige Produktentwürfe gemeinsam entwickelte. In dieser Zeit schuf er nicht nur bedeutende Designklassiker, sondern er übersetzte auch die Ta gebücher des Malers Paul Klee ins Italienische. 1970 gründete Sapper in Stuttgart sein eigenes Designbüro, zugleich begann er seine Beratertätigkeit für Fiat und Pirelli. 1980 wurde er bei der IBM Corporation verantwortlicher Bera ter für das weltweite Produktdesign und das Corporate Image des Konzerns. Er prägte wesentlich die Gestaltung der IBM-Desktopcomputer und -Notebooks („ThinkPad“). Richard Sapper gilt als politisch engagierter Mensch, der sich einem h umanistischen Weltbild verpflichtet sieht. Er begreift Design als soziale und politische Aufgabe. Mit seinem Motto „Der Form einen Sinn geben“ distanziert er sich deutlich vom Leitmotiv „form follows function“ des funktionalistisch en Designverständnisses. Articles about Richard Sapper [SALONE DEL MOBILE 2022 – PREVIEW Quitting is not in my DNA, but you never know…! 4/4/2022 Marva Griffin established the SaloneSatellite in 1998 and since then has made it possible for over 13,000 young designers to present their work to an international public at Salone del Mobile. She talks to us about what motivates her, her love of design and tells us about her current plans.](https://www.stylepark.com/en/news/marva-griffin-salone-satellite-design-milan) [DESIGN Respect for the beast 2/8/2022 The film "Monobloc" by Hauke Wendler puts the internationally present white plastic chair in the spotlight, but leaves important facts in the shadows.](https://www.stylepark.com/en/news/monobloc-hauke-wendler-jens-thiel-plastic-chair) [STYLEPARK MAGIS Questioning the conventional 10/25/2016 The Italian furniture company Magis attracts designers from all over the world. They love collaborating with founder Eugenio Perazza. Although the bar is set high.](https://www.stylepark.com/en/news/40-years-of-magis) [DESIGN Not only Grillo had a future 5/17/2016 Marco Zanuso was born 100 years ago. The Milanese architect is one of the inventors of post-1945 Italian design and for decades inspired other architects and designers.](https://www.stylepark.com/en/news/not-only-grillo-had-a-future) [FAIRS & EVENTS From Brianza out into the wide world 4/13/2015 A prototypical design company: Molteni, founded 80 years ago in Brianza, now run by the third generation of family members, presents its products in a setting of Modern art.](https://www.stylepark.com/en/news/from-brianza-out-into-the-wide-world) [MAGAZINE Forging a new world 6/6/2012 Ingo Maurer, Enzo Mari, Eero Aarnio – they all belong to a group of designers who were born in 1932 and by tenaciously advancing their own ideas have succeeded in creating sensational works. A consideration of the 1932 designers.](https://www.stylepark.com/en/news/forging-a-new-world) [MAGAZINE Designers don't drink from paper cups 8/7/2008 Achille Castiglioni, Andrea Branzi, Alessandro Mendini, Ettore Sottsass and Richard Sapper talk in these short "Design Interviews", which are now out on DVD, about their paths to what was still, at that time, a new discipline, about their own development and careers, about their search for design solutions, which, for the most part, still owed greater allegiance to society than to industry.](https://www.stylepark.com/en/news/designers-dont-drink-from-paper-cups)