Hans von Klier: Gute Form and Identity

Notes on a path

  • Pierparide Vidari Politecnico di Milano
Keywords: Von Klier, Olivetti, Oral history, Ulm school

Abstract

The essay retraces the stages of the career of Hans von Klier, a Czechoslovak designer, trained in Ulm and Milanese by adoption, little considered by historiography, despite being a crucial figure in ‘Olivettian’ history. In the absence of a personal archive, the phases of his production emerge from the common experience shared with the author. First as a designer supporting Sottsass and then with an apex role in Olivetti’s communication and culture office, von Klier is recounted with the tools of oral history, offering insights into both his personal paths and those of other technical intellectuals in the sphere of the Ivrea company.

Author Biography

Pierparide Vidari, Politecnico di Milano

Architect, professor of design at the Milan Polytechnic and in various international institutions. In 1970 he became a consultant in the Olivetti Corporate Identity department coordinated by Hans von Klier and initiated and organized the Archivio e Centro Documentazione dell’industrial design Olivetti, of which he became the head. He carried out several Olivetti design and curatorial assignments, with particular attention to the audiovisual medium. Among his numerous publications are: On my Vespa, Italy on the move (Ed. Triennale di Milano, Ed. Charta, 2006); Lezioni su Olivetti – Storia, editoria, design. Con un’intervista a Renzo Zorzi (con M. Broggi e Pier Unicopli, 2018).

Published
2022-12-30
Issue
Vol 9 No 17 (2022): For a History of Design Phenomenology
Section
Research

Copyright (c) 2022 Pierparide Vidari

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Creative Commons NonCommercial-NoDerivates 4.0 international License (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0).