Nikolas Bentel

Nikolas Bentel
Born
Nikolas Gregory Bentel

(1993-11-23) November 23, 1993
EducationBrown University (BA)
Rhode Island School of Design (BFA)
Columbia University (MArch)
OccupationsDesigner, Artist
Websitenikbentel.com

Nikolas Gregory Bentel (born 1993) is an artist and designer based in New York.[1] He is the founder of Nik Bentel Studio.

Early life and education

Bentel was born in 1993 to architects Carol Bentel and Paul Bentel.[2] He was raised in Queens and Long Island, New York.[2]

Bentel attended Montessori and Waldorf schools before enrolling in a dual-degree program at Brown University and the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD).[2][3] In 2017, he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Modern Culture and Media from Brown and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Industrial Design from RISD. He later received a Master of Architecture from the Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation in 2022.[4]

Career

Bentel founded Nik Bentel Studio in 2017 to design limited-edition objects.[5]

In 2018, Bentel launched The Erased Rauschenberg. For the project, he purchased a 1973 print by Robert Rauschenberg and sold one-inch squares of its surface as advertisement space, using the funds to acquire the artwork.[6][7] The final piece was auctioned in March 2018.[8][9] That same year, he produced a project titled All Purpose Nik, in which he created a series of patented poses to function as human furniture.[10] This "Corpus Collection" was exhibited at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair in New York.[10]

In 2021, Bentel released the Pasta Bag, a leather handbag designed to replicate a blue box of Barilla penne pasta.[11] It was done for trompe-l’oeill purposes and later he received a cease-and-desist letter regarding the purposeful unauthorized use of its branding.[4][12] In 2022, he released a handbag fashioned to look like a generic brown shipping box covered in mailing labels.[13] Later that year, he collaborated with Absolut Vodka on a set of Espresso Martini-themed handbags.[14]

In 2024, Bentel designed the Orb Bag, a spherical, mirrored handbag modeled on a Dupin cyclide geometric form.[13] In September 2024, Bentel collaborated with the retailer Lidl and released the Croissant Bag during London Fashion Week, with proceeds from the sale donated to charity.[15][16]

In 2025, Bentel released the Mixer and speaker handbag, acrylic handbags with an integrated Bluetooth speaker and four-channel DJ mixer, and the RC Car Bag, a leather purse mounted on a remote-controlled chassis capable of speeds up to nine mph.[17][18]

His other work includes the Loopy Chair, a sculptural aluminum piece constructed from modular industrial parts,[19] a handbag based on an electrical extension cord,[14] and work with Areaware on a set of whimsically shaped Doodle Crayons.[20]

References

  1. ^ Chhabra, Esha (December 20, 2016). "This $500 shirt changes color when exposed to air pollution – but who does it help?" – via The Guardian.
  2. ^ a b c Beach, Charlotte (December 12, 2023). "Nik Bentel Flips the Status Quo with His Thought-Provoking Designs". Print Magazine.
  3. ^ Pau, Kelly (November 29, 2023). "Four architects forging new lanes in design". The Architect's Newspaper.
  4. ^ a b Kearns, Sarah (July 26, 2024). "Nik Bentel's 'Performative Art Objects' Embrace the Absurdity of the Everyday". Hypebeast.
  5. ^ Heller, Steven (August 28, 2024). "The Daily Heller: Nik Bentel's Leather Croissant".
  6. ^ Cascone, Sarah (January 10, 2018). "This Artist Wants to 'Erase' a Robert Rauschenberg Print by Selling Ads to Cover It". Artnet.
  7. ^ Voon, Claire (January 12, 2018). "Artist Sells Off Ad Space on a Rauschenberg to Destroy It". Hyperallergic.
  8. ^ McGrath, Katherine (March 8, 2018). "Can You Believe This Artist Intentionally Destroyed a Famous Piece of Art?". Architectural Digest.
  9. ^ Babbs, Verity (May 24, 2025). "Why Did Robert Rauschenberg Erase a de Kooning Drawing?". Artnet.
  10. ^ a b Moen, Matt (July 26, 2018). "Artist Turns Himself Into Human Furniture". Paper Magazine.
  11. ^ Castrodale, Jelisa (August 6, 2021). "This Designer Made a Barilla Pasta Box Handbag". Food & Wine.
  12. ^ Simmons, Sudie (December 7, 2022). "Trompe l'oeil cakes: Have your fake and eat it, too". Quartz.
  13. ^ a b Segran, Elizabeth (May 30, 2024). "How a designer turned a complex mathematical equation into a gorgeous, orb-like handbag". Fast Company.
  14. ^ a b Segran, Elizabeth (March 15, 2023). "This handbag is made from an electrical cord. And yes, you can plug it in". Fast Company.
  15. ^ Collier, Katie (August 26, 2024). "Lidl teams up with fashion designer Nik Bentel to launch croissant handbag". Malvern Gazette.
  16. ^ Daw, Mike (September 9, 2024). "'Pâtisserie Lidl' to open in Soho selling viral croissant bag". The Standard.
  17. ^ Schwarz, Hunter (July 18, 2025). "This purse that doubles as a speaker is the ultimate party trick".
  18. ^ Liszewski, Andrew (February 25, 2025). "This RC purse redefines fast fashion with a top speed of 9 mph". The Verge.
  19. ^ "Summer's coolest dress is an instant classic. OMG, did you see this?". June 18, 2021.
  20. ^ Baldock, Clara (April 10, 2021). "5 playful gifts for spring – for less than £100". Financial Times.
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