Designer. Prestwich, England, 1943

“At odds with his generation” / I remember leaving a small note for Oscar at Casas after seeing one of his prototypes for the Varius chairs. I wrote the following words hoping to give encouragement to what I saw was the beginning of a new aesthetic in the world of reception and office chairs. It read “less Gaudí - more gaudy”. By this I meant for him to embrace fully his natural instincts towards decorative art, I also knew that he would be amused by the curious similarity of the spelling between Gaudí and gaudy and how this could be interpreted. / There are without doubt parallels between Oscar’s and Gaudí’s work, both in the richness of their aesthetic and the inventiveness of typologies. His obvious love for the decorative arts, sumptuous materials and literal references often produces a gaudiness that is at odds with his generation. This strange combination of an underpinning of Spanish rationalism coupled with an eclectic gaudium-ism makes for a highly distinguishable style which is often daring, never dull.
* The word “gaudy” comes from the Latin gaudium or gaude meaning joy or rejoice. Its contemporary association with words like tasteless, vulgar or showy are purely expressions of personal taste. In the context of Oscar’s work his skill is in the careful clarity of an idea which may, in many instances, involve degrees of eclecticism. If it is true to say that “beauty is in the eye of the beholder” then many will rejoice in his vision.