The Haas Brothers

A biography

The Haas Brothers, twins Nikolai and Simon (b. 1984), had a creative upbringing in Austin, Texas where their opera singer mother, actor brother and sculptor father taught them to play music, write, sing and paint. Starting in their early teens, they studied stone carving under their father, mastering the craft before leaving home. The twins parted ways in 2003 to pursue their artistic goals individually. Simon studied painting at RISD while Nikolai toured as a musician. In 2007, the two reconvened in Los Angeles to tour with the band RRIICCEE, then founded The Haas Brothers there in 2010 when L.A. architects Johnston Marklee offered a chance to collaborate on a friend’s project. Early on, the brothers received accolades for their exceptional craftsmanship and expansive studio practice. The years since have seen them evolve from fabricators and collaborators to nimble cross-pollinators in creative disciplines including fashion, film, music, art and design.

In their current works, The Haas Brothers explore aesthetic and formal themes related to nature, science fiction, sexuality, psychedelia and color theory in prolific materials. Their mastery and uniquely clever use of materials ranging from brass, bronze, porcelain and fur to highly technical resins and polyurethane, matched with their insatiable curiosity and remarkable visual intelligence, sets them apart as designers.

In 2015, The Haas Brothers embarked on an extraordinary collaboration with women artisans in Cape Town, South Africa. The resulting series of intricately beaded functional and sculptural objects, Afreaks, was included in Beauty–Cooper Hewitt Design Triennial at the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum in New York, NY and at the San Jose Museum of Art in San Jose, CA. Their work is in the permanent collections of the RISD Museum in Providence, RI, the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum in New York, NY, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, NY.

The Haas Brothers currently live and work in Los Angeles, California.