Recognised as one of the most influential designers of his generation, Newson works across a wide range of disciplines, from furniture, product design, and jewellery to clothing, bicycles, cars, aircraft, and yachts. His practice extends from household objects to large-scale engineering projects, serving clients around the globe.
Many of his designs have become runaway successes and are regarded as icons of contemporary design. As Newson explains:
“The point is with my design, with what I do, whether it’s design or whether it’s art… I do everything from designing aeroplane interiors – which is, on one level, really pure engineering (though there is a bit of design there) – to sculptures such as the Lockheed Lounge. There’s a whole range of limited-edition pieces I’ve designed that now appear at auction. That’s my fantasy, my pure emotion running wild.”
Newson’s work is represented in major museum collections worldwide, including the Museum of Modern Art, New York; the Design Museum, London; the Victoria and Albert Museum, London; the Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris; and the Vitra Design Museum, Germany.
He has been included in Time magazine’s list of the “100 Most Influential People in the World” and has received numerous awards and honours. In the UK, he was appointed Royal Designer for Industry, and in Australia he received an honorary doctorate from Sydney University. He also holds Adjunct Professorships at Sydney College of the Arts and Hong Kong Polytechnic University, and was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
