Niko Kralj

1920-2013

Niko Kralj is undoubtedly found and one of the central figures of Slovenian post-war industrial design. As an internationally recognized design expert in the second half of the 20th century belonging to the most important industrial designers in the world.
He was honored because of his numerous artistic creations, which left a mark on the world of design globally. He is also credited with exceptional merits for the development of post-war Slovenian furniture due to his extraordinary research and innovative work. He founded the Institute of Design in 1966. At home as well as abroad, he filed and registered 118 patents and models and wrote 39 research papers. He was an innovator and inventor in many fields, mostly in the field of construction and production efficiency. He looked at industrial design and innovation as an indivisible whole.
His innovative solutions have given the world a few timeless pieces of furniture. A view of his domestic and foreign awards testifies to the quality of his design creations. Products designed for large-scale production have been commercially very successful and produced in several hundred thousand pieces. Because of their timeless modernist forms Kralj's products belong to the treasury of European modern classics.