Google Doodle honours cat-eye glasses designer Altina Schinasi

Today's Google Doodle is dedicated to Altina Schinasi, an influential American artist and designer. She was recognized for her impressive textiles, ceramics, and jewellery work. In particular, Schinasi is credited with designing the iconic Harlequin cat-eye glasses in the 1940s. Inspired by Venetian masquerade masks, these glasses feature large, almond-shaped frames with upturned tips, and they have become symbols of glamour and sophistication.

The special doodle has been made to celebrate the 116th anniversary of Schinasi's birth.

Bold colours, geometric patterns, and abstract shapes characterized Schinasi's artwork. She had a remarkable ability to use colour and texture to create visually striking and dynamic designs. Various sources, including Native American, African, and modernist art, inspired her work. As a result, she is considered one of the most important textile designers of the 20th century, and her pieces continue to be admired and collected by museums and private collectors worldwide.

Born in New York City on January 18, 1922, Schinasi came from a family of artists. He studied at the Art Students League of New York under the tutelage of renowned artists Hans Hofmann and Morris Kantor. She received the American Crafts Council Gold Medal and served as a professor of ceramics at the University of California, Berkeley. Her work is still displayed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art, and the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

In addition to her broader body of work, Altina Schinasi has produced several notable pieces, including the "Altina Schinasi" rug, designed for the Knoll Textile Company in 1955, the "Aphrodite" ceramic vase, created for the Steuben Glass Company in 1960, and the "Opus II" necklace, designed in 1965. These pieces further exemplify his artistic talent and innovative approach to design.