NORMAN FOSTER (United Kingdom, 1935) for KNOLL. Three-seater sofa model 501 "Congress". Sofa upholstered in brown semi-aniline leather. Loose seat and back cushions. Steel legs. Made in Walter Knoll with logo on interior fabric. It has slight marks of use. Measurements: 75/42 cm (height) x 215 x 82 cm. A contemporary classic, the Foster 501 Congress series by Norman Foster for Walter Knoll is characterized by balanced proportions and meticulously crafted details for subtle elegance. Sir Norman Foster, Baron Foster of Thames Bank and 2010 Prince of Asturias Award for the Arts, studied at Manchester and Yale Universities, and founded his own practice in 1965 with his wife, Richard Rogers and his wife. His initial projects are characterized by their technological emphasis, although later the lines of his buildings will be softened, largely disappearing that technical character taken to the extreme. Foster has received important architectural awards, such as the Gold Medal of the American Institute of Architecture, the Mies Van der Rohe Award for Contemporary Architecture and the Pritzker Prize, and as an industrial designer his creations are part of important collections around the world, including those of the Metropolitan and MoMA in New York.