Designer · Italy · 1920–2006
Vico Magistretti
Vico Magistretti (1920–2006) – Milanese architect and designer, creator of the Eclisse and Atollo lamps and Maralunga sofa, Compasso d'Oro winner.
About the designer
- Lifetime
- 1920–2006
- Country
- Italy
- Manufacturers
- Artemide
Vico Magistretti was born in 1920 in Milan, the son of architect Piero Giulio Magistretti. He obtained his architecture degree from Politecnico di Milano in 1945. He began at his father's practice, designing buildings in Milan, including a church in the QT8 district and the Torre al Parco skyscraper.
From the late 1950s, he increasingly designed furniture and lamps. Around 1960, he created the Carimate chair for Cassina, with which he worked for decades: in 1973 he designed the Maralunga sofa for the company, and in 1977 the Nuvola Rossa bookcase. For Artemide, he designed the Eclisse lamp (1965), awarded the Compasso d'Oro in 1967, and for Oluce the Atollo lamp (1977), which received the same award in 1979. He also worked with De Padova, Flou, Fritz Hansen and Kartell, among others.
For around 20 years, he taught at the Royal College of Art in London and was Royal Designer for Industry. His designs are held in museum collections, including MoMA. He died in 2006. In 2021, Triennale Milano commemorated his work on the centenary of his birth.
More Italian design from this period can be found in the Mid-Century Modern collection.
Key designs
-
Carimate chair
Chair made of lacquered wood and woven material.
-
Eclisse lamp
Compasso d'Oro 1967.
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Maralunga sofa
Sofa with adjustable backrest.
-
Atollo lamp
Compasso d'Oro 1979.
