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Designer
Vico Magistretti
Vico Magistretti (1920–2006) was an Italian architect, industrial designer and teacher, born in Milan on 6 October 1920, the son of the architect Pier Giulio Magistretti. During the war he took refuge in Switzerland, where he met the…
Biography
Background
Vico Magistretti (1920–2006) was an Italian architect, industrial designer and teacher, born in Milan on 6 October 1920, the son of the architect Pier Giulio Magistretti. During the war he took refuge in Switzerland, where he met the humanist architect Ernesto Nathan Rogers, and he graduated from the Politecnico di Milano in 1945.
Signature Style
Magistretti began in urban design and architecture — including the round church of Santa Maria Nascente in Milan's experimental QT8 district — and in the 1950s moved into mass-produced furniture and lamps. His work joins rural simplicity and urban sophistication, warm comfort and clear, economical ideas.
Notable Works
- Carimate chair for Cassina, his first great success
- Maralunga sofa for Cassina (1973)
- Eclisse (1965) and Atollo (1977) lamps
- Furniture for Artemide, De Padova, Flou, Fritz Hansen, Kartell and Schiffini
Legacy
Winner of two Compasso d'Oro awards (1967, 1979) and Triennale medals, he taught at the Royal College of Art for 20 years and was a Royal Designer for Industry. His work is held by MoMA, the Metropolitan Museum and the Centre Pompidou; the Vico Magistretti Foundation oversees his legacy.
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Collections
Products
Maui
Vico Magistretti's 1996 stackable chair, a single polypropylene shell on a steel frame.
Maui Soft
Magistretti's Maui Soft for Kartell: Noma recycled polyester over a nylon shell on a steel frame.
Atollo 233 Table Lamp
Vico Magistretti's 1977 table lamp of cylinder, cone and hemisphere, Compasso d'Oro 1979.
Novetrenta Sofa
Outdoor sofa by Vico Magistretti with a solid iroko wood structure and a water-repellent seat.
Maralunga 50 Sofa
Maralunga 50: Vico Magistretti's 1973 sofa in an exclusive red Nubuck edition from Cassina.
Novetrenta Armchair
Vico Magistretti's upholstered outdoor armchair, with an iroko frame and removable fabrics.
Fiandra Sofa
Fiandra Sofa: Vico Magistretti's 1975 modular sofa re-edited by Cassina on a steel frame.
Nuvola Rossa Bookcase
Nuvola Rossa: Vico Magistretti's 1977 folding bookcase where diagonal struts carry six shelves.
Edison Table
Edison: Vico Magistretti's 1985 glass table on a steel frame joined by cross-shaped pipe connectors.
Fiandra Armchair
Fiandra Armchair: 2025 re-edition of Vico Magistretti's 1975 modular seat on a steel frame.
Maralunga Armchair
Maralunga Armchair: Vico Magistretti's 1973 armchair with a bicycle-chain headrest, by Cassina.
Maralunga Sofa
Vico Magistretti's 1973 bestseller with a backrest that rises on a bicycle-chain mechanism
