Italian architect and designer (1918–2002) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Achille Castiglioni (Italian pronunciation:[aˈkillekastiʎˈʎoːni]; 16 February 1918 – 2 December 2002) was an Italian architect and designer of furniture, lighting, radiograms and other objects.[1][2][3] As a professor of design, he advised his students "If you are not curious, forget it. If you are not interested in others, what they do and how they act, then being a designer is not the right job for you."[4][5]
Castiglioni was born on 16 February 1918 in Milan, in Lombardy in northern Italy. He was the third son of the sculptor Giannino Castiglioni and his wife Livia Bolla. His elder brothers Livio and Pier Giacomo were both architects.
Following the war, Castiglioni returned to Milan and joined the architectural design practice that his brothers Livio and Pier Giacomo had started with Luigi Caccia Dominioni in 1938.[3] Much of their work was in exhibition design, but they also carried out a number of architectural projects, including the reconstruction in 1952–53 of the Palazzo della Permanente[it], which had been destroyed by bombing in 1943.[6]
Livio Castiglioni left the practice in 1952. From then until Pier Giacomo died in 1968, he and Achille worked as a team; their designs are not attributable to either one of them.[3][6] Together, the brothers created a number of works that explored Marcel Duchamp's concept of the ready-made by incorporating and repurposing existing objects into new designs such as the "Sella[it]" and "Mezzadro" stools for Zanotta in 1957.[7][8]
During the same period the brothers experimented with new furniture typologies and concepts such the "Cubo" couch for Arflex. In 1959, they began working with Kartell, designing lighting and furniture, including a collection of tables and stools called "Rochetto".[9][10] The Castiglioni brothers designed the "Lierna" chair for Cassina, and the "Taraxacum" chandelier for Flos[it] in 1960. [11][12]:173[13][14]:79[15]:356 Also for Flos, in 1962 they designed both the "Toio" lamp,[16] assembled from "ready-made" surplus hardware, and the "Arco" lamp,[17] which consists of a long arched stainless-steel cantilevered support, an adjustable shade made of perforated spun aluminium, and a heavy marble base.[6] These projects were followed in 1964 by the "Splüghen Braü" pendant light, and the "RR 126" radiogram for Brionvega.
After the death of Pier Giacomo, Castiglioni worked alone.
From 1969 he taught architectural and design subjects, first at the Politecnico di Torino, and then, from 1980 when he became an ordinario or full professor, at the Politecnico di Milano.[6]
Mezzadro chair designed for Zanotta (1957)Sella stool designed for Zanotta (1957)Light switch designed for VLM (1968)Parentesi suspension lamp designed for FLOS[it] from Pio Manzù concept sketch (1971)
Throughout his lifetime, Castiglioni received many awards and distinctions for his designs, including eight Compasso d'Oro awards, as well as the Compasso d'Oro Career Award "for having raised design to the highest values of culture through his irreplaceable experience."[18][19] His designs are held in museum collections around the world and several books have been published about his life and work.[20][21][22][23]
In 1997, the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York staged a retrospective of his life and work titled: "Achille Castiglioni: Design!". The exhibition was curated by Paola Antonelli, who also wrote the catalogue.[24][25][23]
In 2014 the city of Milan named a street after the three Castiglioni brothers (Via Fratelli Castiglioni).[26]
The Studio Museum of the Achille Castiglioni foundation[27] in Milan holds archival records of 191 architectural projects, 484 installation projects and 290 industrial design projects. A total of c. 11,500 technical drawings and freehand sketches is complemented by 130 plastic models, boxes and drawers containing photographs, slides, glass plates and negatives, videocassettes, DVDs, audio cassettes, extracts from magazines, books, catalogues, and objects collected by Achille Castiglioni.[28]
Additional Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni works and archives are held by the University of Parma.[28][29]
Industrial, product, lighting, and furniture design
Spalter vacuum cleaner designed for R.E.M. (1956)Sanluca armchair designed for Gavina (1959)Arco floor lamp designed for Flos (1962)Taccia lamp designed for Flos (1962)Lampadina table lamp for Flos (1972)
1956 Spalter vacuum cleaner for R.E.M. (with Pier Giacomo Castiglioni)[43]
1957 Saliscendi pendant lamp for Stilnovo (with Pier Giacomo Castiglioni)
1957 Sella stool for Zanotta (with Pier Giacomo Castiglioni) (pictured)
1957 Mezzadro stool for Zanotta (with Pier Giacomo Castiglioni) (pictured)
1957 Cubo couch and armchair collection for Arflex, and subsequently Meritalia (with Pier Giacomo Castiglioni)
1959 Lierna chair for Cassina e Gavina, and subsequently reissued in 2014 by the Fondazione Castiglioni (with Pier Giacomo Castiglioni)
1959 Dolce cutlery for Reed & Barton, and subsequently reissued as Grand Prix in 1996 by Alessi (with Pier Giacomo Castiglioni)[44][45]
1960 Sanluca lounge chair for Gavina, and subsequently Knoll, Bernini, then Poltrona Frau (with Pier Giacomo Castiglioni)
1960 Taraxacum chandelier for Heisenkeil, and subsequently Flos (with Pier Giacomo Castiglioni)[46]
1962 GattoGatto Piccolo, table lamps for Heisenkeil, and subsequently Flos (with Pier Giacomo Castiglioni)
1962 Sleek serving spoons for Kraft and Alessi, (with Pier Giacomo Castiglioni)
Castiglioni, Carlo; Castiglioni, Livia (2022). Affetti e oggetti: cenni di un'antropologia famigliare alla Castiglioni (in Italian). Mantova: Corraini. ISBN978-88-7570-987-7. OCLC1306201942.
Dizionario enciclopedico di architettura e urbanistica, Istituto Editoriale Romano, Roma, 1969, vol. III, 510
MacMillan Encyclopedia of Architects, The Free Press, New York, 1982, 392
Dizionario dell'architettura del XX secolo, a cura di C. OLMO, Allemandi, Torino, 2000, 34–36
Gli archivi di architettura in Lombardia. Censimento delle fonti, a cura di G.L. CIAGA', CASVA – Centro di Alti Studi sulle Arti Visive, con la collaborazione della Soprintendenza archivistica della Lombardia e del Politecnico di Milano, Milano, 2003., 56
Gli archivi di architettura design e grafica in Lombardia. Censimento delle fonti, a cura di G. L. CIAGA', CASVA – Centro di Alti Studi sulle Arti Visive (Quaderni del CASVA, 11), con la collaborazione della Soprintendenza archivistica della Lombardia e del Politecnico di Milano, Milano, 2012
Original Italian: "Se non siete curiosi, lasciate perdere. Se non vi interessano gli altri, ciò che fanno e come agiscono, allora quello del designer non è un mestiere per voi."