Richard Sapper

Richard Sapper (1932 – 2015) was a German-born designer whose career master­fully bridged tech­ni­cal inno­va­tion and sculp­tural beauty. After moving to Milan in the 1950s, he worked with design legend Gio Ponti before estab­lish­ing a long-stand­ing part­ner­ship with Marco Zanuso. His work, known for its balance of func­tional preci­sion and poetic detail, earned him eleven Compasso d’Oro awards — one of the highest honors in industrial design.

For Alessi, Sapper created some of the brand’s most iconic objects, includ­ing the 9090 espresso maker, which became the first Alessi product to win a Compasso d’Oro, and the 9091 melodic whistling kettle, a master­ful fusion of sound and design. His La Cintura di Orione cook­ware collec­tion show­cases his dedi­ca­tion to elevat­ing every­day kitchen­ware to an art form.

Sapper’s designs are housed in major museums world­wide, and his influ­ence remains deeply embed­ded in the history of contem­po­rary industrial design.