Tom Kelley born 1951 in East-Germany As a child playing in the famous Bauhaus of Dessau, for sure not knowing, what it was and even more sure doing things to create to Bauhaus-believers grey hair……by burning strange formed wooden pieces for grilling sausages……… (to recall: the Bauhaus was left empty for decades and just re-opened/ restaured shortly before the socialistic-system went down the creek) After political problems with the comunist system there no chance of higher education and finally after more than 2 years in the famous Stasiprisons bought out from the westgerman goverment. Studies in Aachen at the Hochschule Grafic Design, Akademie Muenchen and at the CSULB Long Beach/California After years as partner of another designer/producer of beds opens his own studio in the south of Munich. A second one in Venice/Italy follows a few years later for staying closer to his than mostly italian clients. In the meantime he lives permanently in Venice/Italy works for companies in Italy, Germany, Austria, Indonesia, Czech Republik and Holland and repopulates Venexia with children His most known and ……….…..most sold item: the BARLEY-chairfamily from the company PROTOTIPO/Italy His credo: Follows the famous less is more-philosophy of W.Gropius without entering minimalism (especially since he hates every-ism, in each and every field-look above !)). His travelling around the world, looking closer to cultures (ore what we consider as them) proved him ; there are just two nationalities in this world - stronzi and non-stronzi!!! Preferes to work in between international and very local in the same time , with the knowing craftsman as with (useful) technology as he believes that a real expression of people is their kitchen and their dialect . All other things are artificial or fake or political calculated. His frase, to love design water is more than a chic statement, its the try to be honest, even in the work we have to do. ...just with the maximum of passion you achive the best things...Johann Wolfgang von Goethe |