Hilton McConnico

Joseph Hilton McConnico (13 May 1943 – 29 January 2018) was a designer and artist who was born in Memphis, Tennessee and lived and worked in Paris from 1965.[1]

Biography

A self-taught fashion designer, Hilton McConnico officially launched his first atelier at 16 years old and, after winning a challenge organized byVogue magazine, discovered Paris where he moved two years later.[2]

After working in fashion for such designers as Ted Lapidus and Yves St. Laurent, he was set designer & art director for more than 20 films, including the cult classic Diva. In 1990 Memphis Brooks Museum of Art held a retrospective of 30 years of his creations.[3]

His collaboration with Daum crystal began in 1987; some of his "Cactus" creations for the manufacturer were presented by former French President François Mitterrand to President George H. W. Bush as a gift of state. He was also the first American to have work permanently inducted into the Louvre's Decorative Arts collection.[3]

McConnico remained active on the global design scene, especially in architecture and interior design. Later projects included the Toupary restaurant on the fifth-floor of the historic Samaritaine department store and the Hermes Museum in Tokyo, which he conceived for the new Renzo Piano building in the famed Ginza shopping district and a collection of limited series and unique pieces for Formia International in Murano Glass.

Hilton McConnico was affected by the Parkinson's disease before his death.[3]

Awards

  • 2005: Talent de l'Audace prize from the Sommet du Luxe et de la Création[3]

References

  1. ^ "Hilton McConnico, Memphis-to-Paris designer, has died". commercialappeal.com. Retrieved 1 February 2018.
  2. ^ (in French) Hilton McConnico, artiste et designer éclectique, est mort, Francetvinfo.fr, 31 January 2018
  3. ^ a b c d Godfrey Deeny, Hilton McConnico, artist and set designer, dies in Paris, Fashionnetwork.com, 31 January 2018