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Designer
Achille Castiglioni
Achille Castiglioni (1918–2002) was an Italian architect and designer, born in Milan on 16 February 1918, the third son of the sculptor Giannino Castiglioni and Livia Bolla. He graduated in architecture from the Politecnico di Milano in…
Biography
Background
Achille Castiglioni (1918–2002) was an Italian architect and designer, born in Milan on 16 February 1918, the third son of the sculptor Giannino Castiglioni and Livia Bolla. He graduated in architecture from the Politecnico di Milano in 1944 and joined the practice of his brothers Livio and Pier Giacomo.
Signature Style
From 1952 until Pier Giacomo's death in 1968 the two brothers worked as one team. Their designs are witty and rigorously functional, often borrowing Marcel Duchamp's idea of the ready-made — a car headlamp in the Toio lamp, a bicycle saddle in the Sella stool, a tractor seat in the Mezzadro.
Notable Works
- Arco (1962), Taccia (1962), Toio (1962), Snoopy (1967) and Taraxacum for Flos
- Parentesi suspension lamp with Pio Manzù
- RR 126 radiogram for Brionvega; Mezzadro and Sella stools for Zanotta
Legacy
Winner of eight Compasso d'Oro awards and a career Compasso d'Oro, professor at the Politecnico di Torino and di Milano, and subject of a MoMA retrospective in 1997. His studio in Milan is now a foundation museum.
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Collections
Products
Mezzadro Stool
A tractor seat on a sprung steel stem: the Castiglionis' 1957 ready-made stool
Snoopy Table Lamp
A tilted enamelled shade balanced on a slanted Carrara marble block, 1967
Taccia Table Lamp
An upturned ceiling lamp: glass bowl and white reflector on a fluted aluminium base, 1962
Leonardo
Achille Castiglioni's 1969 beech trestle work table with adjustable height
Servomuto
Achille Castiglioni's 1974 pole table with a reversible black and white laminate top
Basello
Achille Castiglioni's double-height table with two rotating shelves.
Comodo Side Table (Karakter)
Comodo by Castiglioni and Pozzi: a wood cabinet with a lidded compartment on a slim metal stem.
Trio Bookcase (Karakter)
Oak corner bookshelf with three triangular shelves, Achille Castiglioni, Karakter x Cassina.
Lungangolo Bookshelf (Karakter)
Oak corner bookshelf with four pillars and a drawer by Achille Castiglioni, 1991, Karakter.
Arco Floor Lamp
Overhead light with no ceiling point: a steel arc rising from a Carrara marble block, 1962
Gatto
The Castiglionis' 1960 Cocoon table lamp: a resin-sprayed steel frame glowing with diffused light.
Parentesi
A sliding spotlight on a ceiling-to-floor cable, designed by Castiglioni and Manzù in 1971.
