George Nelson (1908–1986), born in Connecticut, USA, was one of the most influential figures in the early development of modern design. He studied architecture and fine arts at Yale University and believed that a designer’s role was to create a better world for people, drawing inspiration from the perfection found in nature.
Two years spent in Rome after receiving the prestigious Rome Prize broadened his perspective and connected him with some of the leading modernists of the time, including Le Corbusier, Mies van der Rohe, Walter Gropius, Gio Ponti, and many others. These encounters helped Nelson become both a writer and an industrial designer, whose work remains a significant part of modern design history to this day.