cassina.comImage source: Ico Parisi
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Designer
Ico Parisi
Domenico "Ico" Parisi was born in Palermo on 23 September 1916 and grew up in Como, where he earned a building inspector's diploma in 1936 and apprenticed at Studio Terragni. He returned to Como after being discharged from the front in…
Biography
Background
Domenico "Ico" Parisi was born in Palermo on 23 September 1916 and grew up in Como, where he earned a building inspector's diploma in 1936 and apprenticed at Studio Terragni. He returned to Como after being discharged from the front in 1943 and resumed design work on furnishings, exhibition stands and interiors.
Signature Style
Cassina's biography describes a prolific designer-architect who made unique furniture with Brianza craftsmen before working for industrial production, alongside decorative objects in ceramics and glass. With his wife Luisa Aiani he ran the studio La Ruota, a place of design, art, exhibitions and culture.
Notable Works
The Cassina page shows 875, Olimpino, Palpebra, Iride, PA' 1947 and several Impronta pieces among his works. Contenitoriumani, created with the sculptor Francesco Somaini, was first presented at the Milan Furniture Fair in 1968.
Legacy
Operazione Arcevia (1974-1976), a project to design a whole community, was presented at the 76th Venice Biennale and shown at the National Gallery of Modern Art in Rome in 1979. Parisi died in Como on 19 December 1996.
Products
PA' 1947
PA' 1947: Ico Parisi's 1947 solid wood console with divergent Y-shaped legs and brass details.
Olimpino Table
Olimpino: Ico Parisi's 1955 dining table with Y-shaped metal uprights and a monolithic glass top.
875 Armchair
875 Armchair: Ico Parisi's 1960 design with arched steel supports, revisited by Cassina in 2020.
