Parsons HONORS MARIO BUATTA
Legendary Alumnus Receives 2008 Centurion Award
NEW YORK, November 17, 2008 – Parsons The New School for Design honored Mario Buatta, class of 1961, with the third Centurion Award for Design Excellence this evening at a dinner in his honor at the Mandarin Oriental New York. The Centurion Award recognizes Parsons alumni and industry leaders who have significantly contributed to society through their work in design. Previous honorees are Albert Hadley ’49 and Betty Sherrill ’51 of McMillen, Inc. Mr. Buatta was presented with the award by the actress Arlene Dahl, and also serenaded by Christopher Mason with a song written especially in his honor. Among the celebrants were noted designers Jamie Drake ’78 and Victoria Hagan ’84. Proceeds from the event will help to fund student scholarships in a new Master of Fine Arts in Interior Design launching at Parsons in 2009.
One of America’s foremost decorators, Mario Buatta was born in New York, studied architecture at Cooper Union, and attended Parsons. He is well known for his exciting use of color—which has often been compared to that of Matisse and Bonnard—and also for a style he describes as “the Undecorated Look.” According to Buatta, “A house should grow in the same way that an artist’s painting grows; a few dabs today, a few more tomorrow, and the rest when the spirit moves you.”
Mr. Buatta started his own decorating company in 1963. Since then, his list of private clients has included Henry Ford II, Malcolm Forbes, Barbara Walters, Nelson Doubleday, Mariah Carey, and S.I. Newhouse. Mr. Buatta has also redecorated Blair House—the official White House Guest House in Washington D.C. His work has been highlighted in publications such as Architectural Digest, Town and Country, the New York Times, Avenue, Quest, New York, USA Today, House Beautiful, the Washington Post, and Vogue. Once, Mr. Buatta appeared on the cover of Manhattan, Inc. wearing a suit made of chintz. The corresponding headline read, “The Prince of Chintz Ruffles New York Society” because he is credited with creating “the English country look.”
In addition to designing, Mr. Buatta also lectures and consults on decorating issues. An active member of the community, he serves on the boards of the East Side House Settlement and New York City’s Historic House Trust. Mr. Buatta has also served on the boards of the Fashion Institute of Technology, the Royal Oak Foundation, the Decorative Arts Committee at the Cooper Hewitt Museum, and the Kips Bay Boys and Girls Club.
About Interior Design at Parsons The New School for Design
Parsons The New School for Design established the first interior design program in the nation in 1906. Since that time, the school has educated nearly five generations of industry heavyweights. Among its notable alumni are Sheila Bridges, Thomas Britt, Mario Buatta, Jamie Drake, Melvin Dwork, Albert Hadley, Victoria Hagan, Lulu de Kwiatkowski, John Lijewski, Betty Sherrill and Van Day Truex. Parsons BFA and—launching in Fall 2009—MFA in Interior Design programs respond to the demand for professionals who can confidently move a project from a theoretical, visually represented, idea-based concept through detailed technical resolution. Interior design students study the history and theories underlying contemporary interiors while focusing on materiality, color, and the decorative arts. Working in close collaboration with the architecture, lighting design and product design programs, students are provided with the opportunity to explore these professional relationships to prepare them for direct entry into the field. Parsons Interior Design faculty includes such leading professionals as Stella Betts, Wid Chapman, Kitty Hawks, David Ling, Calvin Tsao and Alfred Zollinger. An optional semester in Paris, internships, design competitions, and showcase opportunities in New York City prepare students for a future in residential, contract-commercial or hospitality design, design management, design journalism and education, and other challenging options. For more information, please visit http://www.newschool.edu/parsons/constructed-environments-school-sce/.
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