Andrea Zittel
1965–
Andrea Zittel has produced a body of work that fuses the functional and the aesthetic, probing the intersection of art, design, and architecture. Since 1990 she has created a range of objects, including clothing, furniture, carpets, living compartments, and, perhaps most notably, moveable “wagon stations” and vehicles. As Zittel has explained, “Home furniture, clothing, food all become the sites of investigation in an ongoing endeavor to better understand human nature and the social construction of needs.” Zittel functions as the “one-woman corporation” A–Z Enterprise, now based at a desert compound in Joshua Tree, California. Throughout Zittel has insisted that she is creating art, not design objects.
A to Z 1993 Living Unit is an early example of the functional living environments Zittel created at the outset of her enterprise. These units are modular, portable structures that allow for storage, a modest kitchen, and a place to sleep—the essentials of daily life. Inspired by the limitations of her two- hundred-square-foot studio in Brooklyn in the early 1990s, and grappling with how to best utilize the limited space, Zittel began work on these structures, which could be customized to meet individual needs. Interested in what she describes as the “fine line between freedom and control, and how people often feel liberated by parameters,” Zittel’s units reference Bauhaus design while simultaneously providing a streamlined solution for everyday living.
Introduction
Andrea Zittel (born 1965) is an American artist based in Joshua Tree, CA. Her art and community work encompasses modes of living and design practice in an ongoing investigation that explores the questions "How to live?" and "What gives life meaning?"
Zittel's work has been described as an "expansive approach to art and space making, creating social sculptures that traverse boundaries between art, architecture, design and technology." Her installations, wearables and sculptures transform the necessities of daily living, such as eating, socializing, sleeping and bathing, "into artful experiments and scenarios for new ways of living.”
Wikidata identifier
Q495290
Information from Wikipedia, made available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License . Accessed June 19, 2025.
Introduction
Minimalist artist Andrea Zittel received her Masters in Fine Art from the Rhode Island School of Design. She lives and works in New York. American artist.
Country of birth
United States
Roles
Artist, designer, furniture designer, installation artist, sculptor
ULAN identifier
500033135
Names
Andrea Zittel
Information from the Getty Research Institute's Union List of Artist Names ® (ULAN), made available under the ODC Attribution License. Accessed June 19, 2025.
