Jon Bannenberg
Jon Bannenberg | |
---|---|
Royal Designer for Industry (1978) |
Jon Bannenberg,
Biography
Bannenberg was born in Sydney, Australia, and educated at
His profile continued to rise and, in 1965, he was selected by
His clients included Larry Ellison, Malcolm Forbes, Alan Bond, Bennett S. LeBow, Adnan Khashoggi, and Robert Maxwell.
Bannenberg would design both the exterior and interior of all his yacht projects. Once referred to as a 'stylist' by Yachting Magazine, he was quick to write to the editor in trenchant terms: "Either one is a designer or not. The word 'stylist' to me conjures up some kind of flimsy tweaking of a structure, whereas quite the opposite is true, at least in our own case. Could you do me a great personal favour, either when compiling a new directory or when mentioning my name (should you ever do so after receiving this letter) and refer to me as what I am: a designer—perhaps a nitpicking, irritating one, but nevertheless not a stylist. That is a title I gratefully concede to Vidal Sassoon." He likened himself to the conductor of an orchestra: someone who could not play all the instruments, but knew exactly the sound they should all be producing.
Bannenberg worked with shipyards in the Netherlands, Italy, France, Germany and England. He rekindled the connection with the country of his birth with a collaboration with the Oceanfast yard in Perth, Australia. On two separate occasions he produced designs for a successor to HMY Britannia.
Recognition
He was appointed a Royal Designer for Industry (RDI) in 1978, the first yacht designer to be so honoured since
Death
Bannenberg died of an inoperable
Legacy
Bannenberg & Rowell Design continues to design yachts, under the direction of Jon's son Dickie Bannenberg and Creative Director Simon Rowell.
Jon's son Cam Bannenberg is a sustainable investor, primarily in the food and travel sectors, through investment company Bannenberg Invests.
References
- Footnotes
- ^ Byrne, Diane M. "Jon Bannenberg: 1929-2002". powerandmotoryacht.com. Archived from the original on 12 May 2016. Retrieved 24 June 2016.
- ^ Forbes, Miguel (7 May 2015). "Jon Bannenberg Legacy Captured In Recent Book". Forbes. Retrieved 24 June 2016.
- ^ BYRNE, DIANE M. (30 March 2015). "Jon Bannenberg: A Life of Design—Book on Yachting's Great Rule-Breaker". megayachtnews.com. Retrieved 24 June 2016.
- Boat International. boatinternational.com. 21 January 2015. Retrieved 24 June 2016.
- Sources
Jon Bannenberg: A Life of Design (Julian Calder Publishing, 2015. Author: Dickie Bannenberg)