Johanna Grawunder

Johanna Grawunder (born 1961 in San Diego, California) is an American architect, artist, and designer known for her work in lighting.

Her work spans a broad range of projects and scales, from large-scale public installations, architecture and interiors, to limited edition furniture and lights and custom commissions. She also designs products for select companies including Flos, Boffi, and Glas Italia among others.

Notable designs include Robert, the restaurant atop New York City's Museum of Arts and Design, and a lighting installation for the Luxembourg Freeport.

Career Grawunder attended California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, graduating with a degree in architecture in 1984. Soon after, she moved to Italy to study, and began working for Sottsass Associati from 1985 to 2001. She became a partner in 1989. At the Sottsass Studio she was involved primarily with architecture and interiors, co-designing many of the firm's most prestigious projects with Ettore Sottsass. In 2001 she left to found a studio, where she has produced lighting object collections for different lighting companies and designed several private residences worldwide.

Grawunder's lighting work often consists of obscured sources in vibrant colors, which lead to unique and interesting glows.

Grawunder's architectural work and design art objects have been reviewed repeatedly by the New York Times and architectural publications like Dwell and Wallpaper.

Works

Architecture With Ettore Sottsass : Casa Wolf, Ridgway, Colorado, United-States – 1987–1989 Esprit House, Wels, Austria – 1987–1988 with Marco Zanini Mayer Schwartz Gallery, Beverly-Hills, Los Angeles, United-States – 1988–1989 Casa Olabuenaga, Maui, Hawaï, United-States – 1989 Gallery for the Museum of Contemporary Furniture, Ravenna, Italy – 1992 with Federica Barbiero Bruno Bischofberger House, Zurich, Switzerland – 1991–1996 Casa Yuko, Tokyo, Japan – 1992 Zhaoqing Golf Club and Resort, Zhaoqing, China – 1994–1996 with Federica Barbiero Mourmans House, Lanaken, Belgium – 1995–2002 Nanon House, Lanaken, Belgium – 1995–1998 Van Impe House, St Lievens Houtem, Belgium – 1996–1998 with Gianluigi Mutti Jasmin Hill, Singapore 1996 – 2000 with Federica Barbiero and Marco Pollini

Interiors BRW & Partners – 1999–2000 GIPI, Panepinto Showroom, Milan, Italy – 2002 Beach House, Milan, Italy – 2003–2004 Casa Enzo Cucchi, Siracusa, Italy – 2006–2007 HK House, Hong-Kong – 2006–2009 Casa Rossella, Rome, Italy – 2012–2013 Casa Côte d’Azur, Monte-Carlo, Monaco – 2015

Industrial Design Crack, Glasitalia – 2014 Boxy, Glasitalia – 2011 Colour on colour – 2010 XXX, Glasitalia – 2009 WAN, Flos – 2005 Wedge, Boffi – Sunset & Swimming Pool, B&B – Jazz Collection, tableware, Mikasa – 2000–2003

Installations and Commissions Daring the Gap, with Konstantin Grcic and Timo Salli, Cologne, Germany – 2001 Motocross, Roppongi-Hills streetscape, Tokyo, Japan – 2006–2007 Percorso Illuminato, Paris, France – 2006, Galerie Italienne, Paris Robert Restaurant, Museum of Art&Design, New-York, NY – 2010 The Singapore Freeport, Singapore – 2010, Galerie Italienne, Paris Fendi « Un Art Autre », Tokyo & Beijing – 2013 5 W's, San Francisco, USA – 2013 Freeport Luxembourg, Luxembourg – 2014, Ivan Mietton/ IMDA Fendi Miami, USA – 2015, Galleria O, Roma Lucepiatti, Geneva, Switzerland – 2015

Limited Editions Many Small Works, The Gallery Mourmans – 1995 Superluminal, Design Gallery Milano and The Gallery Mourmans Air Conditioning, Design Gallery Milano – 1995 Abyss, Salviati – 2003 Mémoires de Chine, Mourmans Gallery – 1996 Lighting Management, Post Design Gallery, Milan – 1997 Fractals, Post Design Gallery, Milan – 1999 Lowrider, Post Design Gallery, Milan – 2001 Masks, Gallery Roberto Giustini – 2002 In The Desert, Design Gallery Milano – 2003 Arielle, Galerie Italienne, Paris – 2004 Street Glow, Galerie Italienne, Paris – 2005 New Positions, Gallery Roberto Giustini – 2006 Sakura, Roberto Giustini&Partners, Rome – 2007 I'm Bringing Sexy Back, Designer's Gallery, Köln, Germany – 2008 Cylinders, Friedman Benda / Afsoun, New-York – 2010 Giolight, Roberto Giustini&Partners, Rome – 2008 Davos Dilemma, Roberto Giustini&Partners, Rome – 2008 Primum Non Nocere, Galleria Antonella Villanova, Firenze – 2011 Corbubaby, Ivan Mietton/ IMDA, Paris – 2011 Big Sky, Carpenters Workshop Gallery, Paris London – 2012 Noguchigogo, Ivan Mietton/ IMDA, Paris – 2013 DirtyToys, The Workshop Residence, Los Angeles – 2013 No Whining on the Yacht, Carpenters Workshop Gallery, Paris London – 2013

Unique Pieces Praga, Prague – 2005, Galerie Italienne, Paris Sacem, Paris – 2007, Galerie Italienne, Paris AA Furniture, Geneva, Switzerland – 2009, Ivan Mietton/ IMDA Tempest WS, Private Yacht – 2009–2010, Ivan Mietton/ IMDA MLJ Furniture, Paris, France – 2009, Ivan Mietton/ IMDA LB Ceiling Lights, Paris, France – 2010, Ivan Mietton/ IMDA Wind Ceiling Light, Saint Martin de Belleville, France – 2010, Ivan Mietton/ IMDA Giant Circle Game and Crystal Lights, London, UK – 2010, Ivan Mietton/ IMDA Joos Light, Saint-Moritz, Switzerland – 2011 Park Avenue Lighting Furniture, NYC – 2012, Ivan Mietton/ IMDA New-York Flat Screens, NYC – 2013 Kalligraphy Light, Paris, France – 2013, Ivan Mietton/ IMDA Chopi Chopi, Private Yacht – 2013, Ivan Mietton/ IMDA Giant Circle Game Light, Beyrouth, Lebanon – 2014, Ivan Mietton/ IMDA The Jay Z Light, Paris, France – 2014, Ivan Mietton/ IMDA Madame Kate, Private Yacht – 2014, Ivan Mietton/ IMDA Magic Cloud – 2015 Chanel Gold Bar, Madrid, Spain – 2015, Carpenters Workshop Gallery Slab Table, London, UK – 2016, Ivan Mietton/ IMDA

Publications Foreign Policy, Recent International Light and Design Projects, Marie-Laure Jousset, Galerie Italienne Edition 2007 Ettore Sottsass Big and Small Works, Johanna Grawunder Many Small Works, Gallery Mourmans Edition, 1995

Museums and awards Her work has been shown and is included in many Museum permanent collections, including LACMA, Los Angeles Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris FNAC, Paris San Francisco MOMA Art Institute of Chicago Museum of Fine Arts, Houston High Museum of Atlanta

In 2012, she won the WALLPAPER* Design Award " best use of colour " for the Boxy table made by Glasitalia and in 2010 " best lit lunch " for the lighting installation at Robert, Museum of Art and Design, New-York.