19/1999

Collection

Metalwork

Brief description

'Juicy Salif' aluminium lemon squeezer, designed by Philippe Starck in 1988 and manufactured by Alessi.

Title

Juicy Salif

Object name

squeezer
lemon squeezer

Object number

19/1999

Production person

Philippe Starck (designer)

Production organisation

Alessi (manufacturer)
Aria (retailer)

Production date

1988 (designed)

Production place

Islington (retailed)

Period

Twentieth century (1900-1999)

Material

aluminium

Technique

polished
cast

Physical description

'Juicy Salif' lemon/orange squeezer. Made of highly polished cast aluminium. The lemon is meant to sit on top of an invented tear-shape, which is faceted to guide the juice. The 'tear' is raised on three slender, tapering legs which have a 'knee' below which the leg drops down and returns to the point of the tear (reminiscent of a spider's leg).

Dimensions

Height: 29cm

Website keywords

Eating, drinking and smoking
Decoration and furnishings
ornaments
Household management and family wellbeing
cooking

Label

Caption for Exploring 20th Century London website:
Philippe Starck designed this notorious lemon squeezer, named 'Juicy Salif', for Alessi in 1988. Alberto Alessi has written that the design came about from a series of sketches of squids scribbled onto a napkin, each squid evolving more recognisably into the shape of the squeezer. This particular example was bought from the shop Aria on Upper Street in Islington.

Label text for the exhibition At Home with the World, Geffrye Museum (20 March 2012- 9 September 2012):

‘Juicy Salif’ lemon squeezer
Designed by Philippe Starck in 1988, this example 1998
Manufactured by Alessi, Italy
Cast aluminium

French superstar designer Philippe Starck had the idea for this lemon squeezer while eating squid in a restaurant. He sketched the squid on a napkin and sent it to the founder of the Italian design company Alessi, which has been making the ‘Juicy Salif’ ever since. The three-legged design is too unstable to make a practical utensil, but as Starck said, it was ‘meant not to squeeze lemons’ but ‘to start conversations’.
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