Patricia Urquiola


Patricia Urquiola Hidalgo is a Spanish architect and designer.

Biography

Spanish by birth, and Italian by choice, Patricia Urquiola was born in Oviedo, Spain 12th of May 1961 and studied architecture in Madrid before graduating from the Milan Politecnico in 1989. She was mentored by some of the masters of Italian industrial design: Achille Castiglioni oversaw her graduate thesis, and Vico Magistretti, with whom she designed her first projects. She learned her craft in Italy and opened a studio in Milan in 2001.
Some highlights from her career include her encounter with Maddalena de Padova, her collaboration with Piero Lissoni, and her partnership with Patrizia Moroso which led to the design of the Step Sofa, eventually debuting at the Saloni Milano and launching her into the spotlight at the young age of 40. Amidst all of these accomplishments, she had a stint at Lissoni Associati, beginning in 1993, where she developed furniture for Italian giants Cappellini and Cassina.
The Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Barcelona is one of her many architectural projects.
In 2011 she was awarded the Medalla de Oro al Mérito en las Bellas Artes and the Order of Isabella the Catholic by King Juan Carlos I of Spain. She also tends to collaborate with other architects and designers.

Museum exhibitions

2011
In Tite Kubo's manga series Bleach, the character Ulquiorra Cifer is named after Patricia Urquiola.