Born in Tel Aviv, Israel in 1963, Arik Levy served in the Israeli army before managing an art and graphic design studio and a surf shop in Tel Aviv between 1985 and 1988. After participating in his first group exhibition of outdoor sculptures in Tel Aviv in 1986, he moved to Europe and settled in Geneva in 1988. He went on to study industrial design at the Art Center Europe in Switzerland, obtaining his Bachelor of Science degree with distinction in 1991.
Levy’s first international success came later that same year, when he won the Seiko Epson Inc. competition. After a stint in Japan, where he consolidated his ideas for producing products and pieces for exhibitions, Levy returned to Europe in late 1991 and began to focus on another field—contemporary dance and opera by way of set design.
After this experience, he settled in Paris, and, between 1992 and 1994, he taught design at the École nationale supérieure de création industrielle. In 1992 he also established Arik Levy Art & Design Studio, which produces brand identities, product, lighting, packaging, signage, exhibitions, and interior design. Today, Levy continues to live and work in Paris, dividing his time between artwork, monumental sculptures, and his design studio.
Notable projects include Levy’s WorkIt office system (2010) and SilentWall space organization system (2014) for Vitra; the WireFlow lighting collection for Vibia (2013); the Tuile lamp collection for Baccarat (2013); as well as, in collaboration with Vitra, the furniture and fixtures of Cartier’s Parisian headquarters (2001). Other clients include the likes of Hennessy, Molteni & C, Viccarbe, Swarovski, Tai Ping, Issey Miyake Parfums, Ligne Roset, and LG Electronics.
Levy has exhibited around the world and his work is included in numerous respected private and public collections, including the Victoria and Albert Museum in London; the Israel Museum in Jerusalem; the Museum of Modern Art in New York; the Musée National d’Art Modern at the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris; the Seoul Arts Center; and the Art Institute of Chicago. Levy has received multiple awards and honors, including a Wallpaper Design Award and a Design Plus powered by Light+Building award for Wireflow in 2014; a 2013 Best of Year award for his Fold lighting collection for Vibia; a 2011 Good Design Award for Pattern, his outdoor furniture collection for EMU; a 2009 Red Dot Design Award for best product design for the SH05 Arie shelving system by E15; and the 2008 Designer of the Year Award from the Elle Decoration International Design Awards.
