Alphonse Mattia

American furniture designer (1947–2023)

Alphonse Mattia
Born	1947 (1947) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Died	April 10, 2023(2023-04-10) (aged 75–76)
Alma mater	Philadelphia College of Art, Rhode Island School of Design
Occupation(s)	woodworker, furniture designer, professor
Movement	Avant Garde Furniture, American Studio Furniture
Website	alphonsemattia.com

Alphonse Mattia (1947 – April 10, 2023)^[1] was an American furniture designer, woodworker, sculptor and educator. In 2005, Alphonse Mattia was elected a Fellow of the American Craft Council (ACC).

Biography

Alphonse Mattia was born in 1947 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.^[2]^[3] He was raised in an Italian American, Catholic family.^[4]^[5] He attended Philadelphia College of Art (now known as the University of the Arts) and graduated with a BFA degree. Mattia has a MFA degree in 1973 in industrial design from Rhode Island School of Design, where he also studied furniture under Tage Frid.^[2]

Mattia taught at Virginia Commonwealth University (from 1973 to 1976); Boston University (from 1976 to 1985); the Swain School of Design (from 1985 to 1988); and at Rhode Island School of Design (starting in 1990).^[5]^[6] Mattia was instrumental in the establishment of the Boston University Program in Artisanry [Wikidata] in 1975, which was later purchased by the Swain School of Design in 1985.^[4]^[7] The Program in Artisanry had emphasized art over craft.^[4] Mattia's notable students included Emi Ozawa.^[8]

Mattia's work can be found in museum collections including at the Smithsonian American Art Museum,^[9] Museum of Arts and Design,^[10] Museum of Fine Arts, Boston,^[11] Philadelphia Museum of Art,^[12] Rhode Island School of Design Museum,^[13] and at the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco.^[14]

References

^ "Remembering: Alphonse Mattia". American Craft Council. April 19, 2023.
^ ^a ^b Halper, Vicki; Douglas, Diane (2009-05-15). Choosing Craft: The Artist's Viewpoint. Univ of North Carolina Press. p. 180. ISBN 978-0-8078-8992-3.
^ Fitzgerald, Oscar P. (2019-01-01). Studio Furniture of the Renwick Gallery: Smithsonian American Art Museum. Fox Chapel Publishing. ISBN 978-1-60765-489-6.
^ ^a ^b ^c Fitzgerald, Oscar P. (2017-12-22). American Furniture: 1650 to the Present. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 549. ISBN 978-1-4422-7040-4.
^ ^a ^b "Reminiscences of Alphonse Mattia: Oral History, 1985". Columbia University Libraries, Columbia University Libraries Digital Program Division, Oral Histories Portal. 2010. Archived from the original on 2021-12-14. Retrieved 2021-12-14.
^ "Alphonse Mattia". American Craft Council. Retrieved 2021-12-14.
^ "Boston University Program in Artisanry records, 1974-1985". Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution. Archived from the original on 2014-01-23. Retrieved 2021-12-14.
^ Fitzgerald, Oscar P. (2009-10-01). New Masters of the Wooden Box: Expanding the Boundaries of Box Making. Fox Chapel Publishing. ISBN 978-1-60765-034-8.
^ "Alphonse Mattia". Smithsonian American Art Museum. Archived from the original on 2017-09-28. Retrieved 2021-12-14.
^ "Collections". MAD Museum. Archived from the original on 2021-12-14.
^ "Architect's Valet". Museum of Fine Arts (MFA). Archived from the original on 2021-12-14. Retrieved 2021-12-14.
^ "Side Chair". philamuseum.org. Retrieved 2021-12-14.
^ "Architect's Valet Chair". RISD Museum. Archived from the original on 2020-09-27. Retrieved 2021-12-14.
^ "Alphonse Mattia". FAMSF Search the Collections. 2018-09-21. Retrieved 2021-12-14.