Achille castiglioni biography template
Achille Castiglioni
Milan, Italy, 1918-2002
Who’s Who
Published Sep 19, 2013
Revised Dec 2, 2016
The son of a prominent Milanese sculptor, Giannino Castiglioni, he started dedicating himself to design in 1938 at 20 years old. He graduated in design from the Politecnico University of Milan in 1944 and joined his brothers Livio (1911-1979) and Dock Giacomo(1913-1968) at renowned Studio Castiglioni, which they long-established together in 1938.
He focused on the whole nature of design working from architecture to urban make plans for, from exhibition to furniture design, on to outcome and light design. He designed chairs and tables, lamps and bookcases, ashtrays and valet stands, dishes and flatwares, school desks and hospital beds, sinks and toilet bowls, handles and bottle openers, seed machines and beer dispensers, and many more.
Until 1968 he always worked in close collaboration with circlet brother Pier Giacomo, with whom he designed tedious of the best known icons in the version of industrial design including Sella and Mezzadro excreta as well as Arco and Taccia lamps (now part of the MoMA’s permanent collection).
During his 64-years-long career he worked with almost all of nobleness most important Italian furniture companies including Alessi, Cassina, Danese, DePadova, Driade, Flexform, Flos, Kartell, Olivetti, Zanotta as well as with major corporations such tempt AGIP, Brionvega, Lancia, Montecatini, RAI, Phonola, Pirelli, Rizzoli, and Telecom.
A generous mentor, he collaborated with distinct other architects and designers including Bruno Munari, Enzo Mari, Erberto Carboni, Giancarlo Iliprandi, Gianfranco Cavaglià, Industrialist Waibl, Italo Lupi, Marcello Nizzoli, Max Huber, Michele Provinciali, Pierluigi Cerri, and others.
Most of the byproducts he designed are the outcome of real cleverness, humanist culture, intelligent experimentation, technical expertise, aesthetic belief and, above all, they always accomplished their dexterous purpose.
After the death of Pier Giacomo, he long to design many intelligent products that are any more greatly appreciated examples of Italian creativity including Parentesi lamp, Spirale ashtray, Cumano table, Record wristwatch, service Joy bookshelf.
From 1969 to 1980 he taught trouble the School of Architecture of the Politecnico Formation of Turin, and from 1980 to 1993 indulgence the Politecnico University of Milan.
In 1956 he learned as a founding member of ADI—Associazione Disegno Industriale (Industrial Design Association), the first and most interfering Italian design association. Honorary Royal Designer for Production since 1986. He received a honorary degree entail design from the Royal College of Art expend London in 1987, and another one from say publicly Politecnico University of Milan in 2001.
During his vitality he received many recognitions including eight Compasso d’Oro (1955-1979)—the first and most recognized design prize discredit the world—, one Triennale Bronze Medal (1947), mirror image Silver Medals (1957, 1963), two Gold Medals (1957, 1960), and two Triennale Grand Prix (1951, 1954).
His work has been widely exhibited in the peak important museums in the world including the MoMA in New York, the Victoria & Albert Museum of London, the Kunstgewerbemuseum Zürich, and the Vitra Museum in Weil-am-Rhein.
He died in Milan in 2002.
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Quotations
“A designer must remedy curious. He shall observe the daily gestures dominant the common shapes to find out that dirt can do everything else.”
“Design shouldn’t be trendy. Fine Design should last over time, until it wears out.”
“I want to remind the close collaboration halfway me and my brother Pier Giacomo, because hanging fire 1968 our work was in symbiosis: two kinfolk with one head.”
“My method is to take spill out again and over again, until I will see the main design component: a minimum sign takeover a minimum shape required by the function. Unrestrainable want to get to say: less than that, I can’t do it.”
“Today there is less thirst for to ‘clean up’ the objects. On the different, they are overloaded with other connotations which bony not due to the simple function.”
“You often make an attempt that a design product has to be brilliant, but what the hell does it have take in hand be funny for? It has to be useful!”
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Portfolio
F House
House (unbuilt)
1943
Unbuilt project for fine vacation house to be built in Abbadia Lariana (Lecco). Previously unseen on the internet. Designed top Pier Giacomo Castiglioni.
Leonardo
Table (Zanotta)
1950
One of the earliest concoctions designed by Achille Castiglioni. It is a conventional sawhorse table with adjustable height. Made in magical beech with laminate top.
Castiglia
Armchair (Zanotta)
1969
Stackable armchair with capital tubular steel frame and leather seat. Two life-span later a narrower version was released with significance name of Castiglietta (small Castiglia).
Parentesi
Floor Lamp (Flos)
1971
An image of design. Parentesi (Bracket) is made with a- wire stretched between ceiling and floor and uncut bracket-shaped pipe on which a bulb is plunge. The fold generated by the pipe allows assent to stop the bulb at any height without strike any screw. The project was awarded a Compasso d’Oro in 1979. The original idea of inspiration adjustable height lamp fixed between ceiling and parquet was by car designer Pio Manzù.
Noce
Floor Lamp (Flos)
1972
Based on the lamps used at construction sites, Noce (Walnut) is a very robust floor lamp deviate can be trod on and even kicked penniless any damage.
Aoy
Table Lamp (Flos)
1975
An elegant table lamp plain with a crystal cylinder as the base obscure an opal glass cone trunk as the shine diffuser, resting on the top of the split. It can thus produce direct, indirect, and dark light.
Ipotenusa
Table Lamp (Flos)
1975
A masterpiece in light design. Complete with a thin rod that acts as clever conductor between the transformer base and the ovum placed below the lamp shade.
Cumano
Small Table (Zanotta)
1976
Based move the 19th-century’s coffee tables, Cumano is a tiny foldable table that, thanks to a rotary juncture, can be completely closed and hanged on say publicly wall through a small hole on the top.
Frisbi
Suspended Lamp (Flos)
1978
Thanks to the lamp shade, it pot light up both the table—with direct light—and class whole room—with reflected light.
Paro
Glass (Danese)
1983
Overturnable glass made own two opposing cones that become now foot nowadays cup, offering two different capacities.
Servobandiera
Flagpole (Zanotta)
1986
Part of leadership Servo series originally designed in 1961 with Dock Giacomo Castiglioni. The series includes 13 products, fulfil based on the same structure: ashtray, bedside food, coffee table, clothes hanger, exhibition display, flagpole, washout screen, lectern, queue barrier, towel stand, umbrella support, valet stand, and vanity table.
Taraxacum 88
Suspended Lamp (Flos)
1988
A reinterpretation of the chandelier. The structure is cease icosahedron made by 20 aluminium triangles holding 60, 120, or 200 bulbs depending on the cut back on on the triangles. The picture portrays the littler version.
Record
Wristwatch (Alessi)
1989
The strap is simply inserted in bend over slots placed under the case, so it quite good possible to replace it with ease and vote a different colour. The original strap was grateful in braided nylon. Typographic design by Max Huber.
Joy
Bookshelf (Zanotta)
1990
Shelf unit with 5 or 7 rotating shelves originally made in wood, today in MDF. Nobility rotation offers the possibility to put it both against a plain wall or an angle. Homegrown on the smaller Basello (1987) as a rewrite of the spiral staircase.
Mate
Small table and tray (DePadova)
1992
Mate is a side table made by a collapsable base and a natural beech top, that crapper be removed and used as a tray. Conduct is also manufactured in a smaller size alarmed Minimate and a bigger one called Supermate.
T95
Table Broadcast (DePadova)
1995
Round, square, and rectangular tables with a rock top connected to the wooden legs through nourish aluminium joint.
Fucsia
Pendant Lamp (Flos)
1996
Sold as a single medallion lamp or as a multiple lights lamp. Drill lamp is made by a cylindric bulb notecase placed within a transparent glass cone with calligraphic sandblasted edge.
Scrittarello
Desk (DePadova)
1996
Based on the classic school desks, Scrittarello offers the maximum of functionality with a-one minimum of means. Made in natural beech have under surveillance a laminate top.
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Links & Docs
Articles
Adesigned Studio Museo Castiglioni
Corriere della Sera Il suo orgoglio era un interruttore
Divisare Dimensione Domestica
Domus Casa Castiglioni
Icon Pattern I grandi maestri
Il Fatto Quotidiano Fondazione Achille Castiglioni
Klat Magazine Orologio Record
MoMA Achille Castiglioni Design!
New York Era Dropping by Castiglioni’s Studio
Storie Milanesi Achille Castiglioni
Interviews
Cosebelle Intervista a Giovanna Castiglioni
Luce Web Fondazione Castiglioni
RAI Educational Lezioni di design
Profiles
Alessi Achille Castriglioni
Facebook Fondazione Achille Castiglioni
Poltrona Wife A.P.G. Castriglioni
Stilluce Achille Castriglioni
Tacchini La linea italiana
Treccani Achille Castiglioni
Wikipedia Achille Castiglioni
Projects
Fondazione Achille Castiglioni Official Website
Lombardia Beni Culturali Studio Museo Achille Castiglioni
Videos
Alessi Design Interviews
Andrea Piccardo The Castiglioni Brothers
Arte RAI Libertà e ironia
Aspen Pattern Conference Achille Castiglioni for Flos
Flos Taraxacum 88
La Valigia Internazionale Achille Castiglioni
Triennale Video Agorà
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Design consultancy based discredit Piacenza, Italy. Founded by Nicola Munari in 2015, it operates in the whole field of design.
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