Alan Heller at NeoCon 2018 in his showroom on the 3rd floor of the Merchandise Mart
Alan Heller died last week, and for those of you who didn't know him or somehow missed him at his tiny showroom on the third floor across from Herman Miller during NeoCon, you missed a lot.
Throughout the years Heller explored new processes for manufacturing furniture. For over 50 years, Heller offered leading designers the opportunity to work with new technologies to create innovative products. Those were great partnerships and they resulted in great products.
Incorporated in 1971, Heller’s first product was a line of stacking dinnerware designed by Massimo Vignelli. Winner of a Compasso d’Oro award in Italy, it is included in the Museum of Modern Art permanent design collection, New York. The dinnerware was sold at Design Research in Boston, and Crate and Barrel, among other "design" stores at the time.
Heller launched his furniture division in 1998. The first chair, The Bellini Chair designed by Mario Bellini, won the Compasso d’Oro in 2001. Since then, Heller had worked with other celebrated designers: Massimo & Lella Vignelli, Philippe Starck, Mario Bellini, Vico Magistretti, William Sawaya, De Pas, D’Urbino & Lomazzi, Frank Gehry, and Studio 65.
Heller products are in design collections worldwide including: Museum of Modern Art, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Whitney Museum of American Art, Smithsonian, Louvre Museum of Decorative Arts, Vitra Museum,Pinakothek in Munich, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Cleveland Museum of Art/
Heller has won many awards for its products, including: Compasso d’Oro, Italy, I.D. Annual Design Distinction for Furniture, Industrial Design Excellence Award, Industrial Designers Society of America, International Design Yearbook, International Contemporary Furniture Fair Award for Best Seating, Good Design Award, The Chicago Athenaeum Museum of Architecture and Design, IF Design 2004, Red Dot 2004, ICFF Best Outdoor Furniture, and a Best of NeoCon 2004.
Herein his official obituary from the New York Times: 1940 - 2021, Alan passed away peacefully at home after a long decline, on Friday, August 13, 2021. He was 81.Alan was a beloved friend and shining inspiration to innumerable people in the US and abroad. He founded Heller 50 years ago and all his life remained true to his vision of "Good design at affordable prices."
With his rare combination of creativity and business acumen, he worked with some of the world's leading designers, including Massimo and Lella Vignelli, Vico Magistretti, Frank Gehry, and Philippe Starck, to make great design accessible through industrial production and technology.
The dinnerware and furniture that he devoted his life to producing are found in homes and museums throughout the world. Above all, Alan will be remembered for his fabulous sense of humor, his loyalty to his friends, his warmth, charm, and charisma. He was generous, funny, quirky, curious, and fiercely independent. His favorite word was "extraordinary." He read four newspapers every day; he had strong opinions and didn't hesitate to share them. He was a strict minimalist but he also created the Gladys Goose lamp and had a life-size cow on the terrace. His work was his passion and his idea of a fun holiday was visiting factories and trade shows. He was always inventing new ideas for products. He thrived on great conversation. He loved gourmet food, but also his daily sardine sandwich at Eisenbergs, the greasy spoon near his office. He hated exercise. He told bad jokes. He could be maddeningly stubborn. He was a lifelong New Yorker who also loved Italy. He was proud to be a grandfather. He loved Jewish traditions and celebrated every shabbos with blessings. He was a true mensch. Alan's work was devoted to manufacturing multiples, but he himself was one-of-a-kind, unique and irreplaceable.
He is survived by his sisters Suzanne Heller and Faith Heller Willinger; and by Barbara Bluestone, with whom he lived in New York for the past 20 years. A private graveside service will be held. Donations may be made to Metropolitan Jewish Health System. May his memory be for a blessing.
Published by New York Times Aug. 15, 2021.
Discover more about Alan Heller and his design philosophy in these videos:
Design Conversations: Alan Heller, 2016, Vignelli Center for Design Studies
The Golden Age of Modernism: In Conversation with Alan Heller (2018)