Bořek Šípek (Czech Republic 1949-2016) 'Simon' Candleholder for Driade, 1988

Seven-armed candle holder made of silver-plated metal with company stamp “Driade” on the underside. The conical body is surrounded by seven winding arms, each with a spout, in an irregular rhythm. It was made by Fossadello di Caorso, Piacenza, Italy.

Bořek Šípek, a Czech designer and architect, emigrated from Czechoslovakia to Germany in 1968, where he studied architecture and philosophy and taught at several universities. After earning a doctorate in architecture from Delft (1979), he worked as a lecturer in design theory and founded his own design studio in Amsterdam in 1983, along with the firm Alterego. Šípek also served as a professor in Prague and Vienna and as dean at the Technical University of Liberec.

His creative credo, "form follows poetry," is reflected in his internationally acclaimed furniture and glass designs. His work, especially for the Ajeto Glassworks in Nový Bor and his interior restorations at Prague Castle under President Václav Havel, received widespread recognition. Notable projects include the Kyoto Opera House, the Museum Het Kruithuis, and a boutique for Karl Lagerfeld in Paris. Šípek received numerous awards, including the German Architecture Prize (1983) and the French Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (1991).