Umberto Bellardi Ricci

Umberto Bellardi Ricci is a New York based German-Italian architect, sculptor, and designer. After years of teaching at avant-garde schools, the Architectural Association in London and Cornell University in New York as well as doing experimental work in cast concrete in the sculpture garden Las Pozas with Mexican collective Tezontle, he established his studio practice in Brooklyn at the Navy Yards in 2019. Bellardi Ricci launched his inaugural collection of sculptural furniture at Matter gallery in New York in July 2021. The show entitled ‘Dawn’ revolved around the interplay of design and sculpture, exploring the spatial aspects of sculpture through the lens of architecture. The collection focused on furniture pieces pairing ready-made materials with carefully crafted details, exploring the contrast between industrial elements like steel and aluminium with refined textures of materials like stone, glass and textiles. Whilst the New York Times feature “Lamps and Sculptures That Evoke New York City Skyscrapers” was mostly focused on the dialogue of Bellardi Ricci’s studio pieces with the skyline of Manhattan in the background of his Brooklyn studio, the architectural vocabulary of the city has become embedded in Bellardi Ricci’s more recent body of work. Umberto Bellardi Ricci is currently working on a series of projects in New York, London, Paris and Milan preparing his second solo show of sculptural furniture pieces and light sculptures.