Vico Magistretti (1920 – 2006) Italian architect/designer

Advertisements
Victor Magistretti featured image
Victor Magistretti featured image

Vico Magistretti (1920-2006) was an Italian architect, furniture designer, and interior decorator.

Education

In 1945, Magistretti received his architecture degree from Milan University and began working in his father’s practice. 

Biography

He began designing furniture in the 1960s and has collaborated with various manufacturers, including Knoll International and Cassina. His work can be found in the permanent design collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

The Selene all-plastic chair, produced by Artemide in 1968, the Maralunga sofa (Cassina, 1973), and the Villabianca chairs are among Magistretti’s unique designs (Cassina, 1985). He received the Compasso d’Oro in 1967 and 1979, a gold medal at the 9th Milan Triennale, and the International Jury’s first prize at the Cologne Furniture Fair in 1982. Some of his work, such as the 1986 Cardigan sofa, has been criticised as boring. Others see it as a measured attempt to serve the domestic landscape rather than bawling egotistically at it.

Magistretti’s early classics, such as the Modello 115 chair (Cassina 1964), harken back to 19th-century Italian vernacular design. The red-painted wooden frame of the Modello 115 is complemented by rush seating. Despite its reputation for radicalism, it exemplifies how postwar Italian design emphasises continuity with tradition rather than rupture with the past.

Advertisements

Recognition

  • From 1948 to 1954, he competed in almost all of the Triennali di Milano, winning first prize in 1948 (VIII) and 1954 (X) and a gold medal in 1951 (IX).
  • He was awarded the Comune di Milano’s silver medal in 1957 and the Vis prize in 1950.
  • Premio Compasso d’Oro in 1967 (Eclisse table lamp), 1973 (Maralunga chair), 1977 (Atollo lamp), and 1979 (Gaudi chair); 
  • Gold medal, Society of Industrial Artists and Designers, 1986.
  • In 1983, he was made an honorary member of the Royal College of Art in London and the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland.

Exhibitions

His work has been included in the following exhibitions:

  • 1972 ‘Milano 70/70: Un secolo d’arte’ exhibition at the Museo Poldi Pezzoli in Milan, 
  • 1972 ‘Design a Plastické Hmoty’ exhibition at the Uméleckoprimyslove Muzeum in Prague, 
  • 1979 ‘Design Process Olivetti: 1908—1978 exhibition at the Frederick S. Wight Art Gallery in Los Angeles, 
  • 1984 ‘Design Since 1945’ exhibition at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and 
  • 1991 ‘Mobili Italiani 1961-1991: Le Varie Eta dei linguaggi’ exhibition in Milan.

Sources

Byars, M., & Riley, T. (2004). The Design Encyclopedia. Laurence King Publishing.

Dormer, P. (1999). The illustrated dictionary of twentieth-century designers: the key personalities in design and the applied arts. Greenwich Ed.

Advertisements

Design Books – Amazon

* This website may contain affiliate links, and I may earn a small commission when you click on links at no additional cost.  As an Amazon and Sovrn affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Advertisements

More Italian Designers

  • Aldo Rossi (1931 – 1997), Italian designer and architect

    Aldo Rossi (1931 – 1997), Italian designer and architect

    Aldo Rossi (1931 – 1997) was an Italian architect. He was born and professionally active in Milan. He is considered by many to be the greatest Italian architect of the second half of the 20th century. His life as an architect began with Gardella and Zanuso. Read More →

  • Franco Mirenzi ( b. 1942 ) Italian Industrial Designer

    Franco Mirenzi ( b. 1942 ) Italian Industrial Designer

    Franco Mirenzi is an Italian industrial designer who was born in 1942.Read More →

  • Rodolfo Dordoni (b.1954) Italian Architect and Designer

    Rodolfo Dordoni (b.1954) Italian Architect and Designer

    he was artistic director of Cappellini International Interiors and in charge of corporate image and communications; from 1982, he was consultant designer for several firms on pavilions, shops, and exhibition stands.Read More →

  • Massimo Morozzi (b. 1941) The Visionary Pioneer of Italian Design

    Massimo Morozzi (b. 1941) The Visionary Pioneer of Italian Design

    He created Archizoom Associati in 1968 with Andrea Branzi, Gilberto Corretti, and Paolo Deganello, which developed industrial and architectural designs and urban planning and was a notable Italian architecture practice until 1972. Read More →

  • Giorgina Castiglioni Italian Architect and Designer

    Giorgina Castiglioni Italian Architect and Designer

    Giorgina Castiglioni is an Italian architect and designer who studied architecture at Milan Polytechnic (1969). She is Giannino Castiglioni’s granddaughter, a famous sculptor, and the daughter of Pier Giacomo Castiglioni, an architect and professor. Read More →

  • Angelo Cortesi: A Visionary Italian Industrial Designer

    Angelo Cortesi: A Visionary Italian Industrial Designer

    Angelo Cortesi is an esteemed Italian industrial designer known for his innovative and functional designs. With a career spanning several decades, Cortesi has left a lasting impact on the design world. From his collaborations with renowned clients to his leadership roles in prestigious organizations, Cortesi’s work continues to inspire designers globally. His numerous awards, including…

  • Pucci De Rossi (1947 – 2013), Italian furniture designer and artist

    Pucci De Rossi (1947 – 2013), Italian furniture designer and artist

    Pucci de Rossi was an Italian designer born in Verona and trained with American sculptor H.B. Walker. Pucci de Rossi (1947-2013) is an unusual designer and artist. Jewellery, furniture, sculpture, painting: his works, visually striking and functional, refer to Arte Povera and the neo-baroque work of the Memphis studio. Read More →

  • Ambrogio Pozzi (b.1931) Italian Industrial Designer

    Ambrogio Pozzi (b.1931) Italian Industrial Designer

    He worked in the family firm Ceramica Franco Pozzi in Gallarate from 1951 and redesigned its traditional products in an award-winning Functional style. His widely published 1970 Compact stacking coffee service was designed for machine production in three sizes. He set up his design practice, where clients included Riedel, Rossi, Guzzini, Pierre Cardin, Rosenthal, Norex,…

  • Franco Deboni (b.1950) Italian architect and glassware designer

    Franco Deboni (b.1950) Italian architect and glassware designer

    He worked for various firms in Italy and Yugoslavia. He received a patent for a bookcase-component system. Clients included Ferro & Lazzarini (glassware) and Italianline. He was best known for his lighting in glass and a mushroom-shaped table lamp in marble; became a member of ADI (Associazione per il Disegno Industriale); was author of Venini…

  • Gillo Dorfles (1910 – 2018) Italian art critic, painter, and philosopher

    Gillo Dorfles (1910 – 2018) Italian art critic, painter, and philosopher

    Gillo Dorfles (1910 – 2018) was an Italian art critic, painter, and philosopher. He was born in Trieste and active in Milan.Read More →

  • Lino Tagliapietra (b.1934) Italian Glassworker and Teacher

    Lino Tagliapietra (b.1934) Italian Glassworker and Teacher

    From 1956, Tagliapietra taught glassmaking with Archimede Seguso and Nane Ferro; 1966—68, designed glass for Venini, Murano; until 1968, for Murrina; from 1968, taught glassmaking at Haystack School and Pilchuck School, Stanwood, Washington. Read More →

  • Gino Valle  (1923 – 2003) Italian architect, designer and town planner

    Gino Valle (1923 – 2003) Italian architect, designer and town planner

    Gino Valle (1923 – 2003) was. Italian architect, designer, and town planner. He was born in Udine. He studied at the Instituto Universitario di Architettura, Venice, to 1948. From 1951, he was at the Harvard Graduate School of Design, Cambridge, Massachusetts.Read More →

  • The Moka Express (Design Classic) – simple ☕ coffee-making machine

    The Moka Express (Design Classic) – simple ☕ coffee-making machine

    Designed and Made in Italy The Moka Express is a straightforward stovetop coffee maker. It unscrews in the centre, and water is poured into the bottom compartment. Read More →

  • Marcello Piacentini (1881 – 1961) Italy’s Fascist Architect

    Marcello Piacentini (1881 – 1961) Italy’s Fascist Architect

    Marcello Piacentini (1881–1961) was an Italian urban theorist and one of the leading proponents of Italian Fascist architecture.Read More →

  • Marilena Boccato Italian Product Pesigner

    Marilena Boccato Italian Product Pesigner

    Marilena Boccato is a designer from Italy who worked in Treviso and Padua. In 1967, Boccato began her professional career. She collaborated with Gian Nicola Gigante and Antonio Zambusi.Read More →

  • Gruppo 9999 Italian Architecture and Design Group

    Gruppo 9999 Italian Architecture and Design Group

    Gruppo 9999 was a group of radical architects founded in Florence in 1968 by Giorgio Birelli, Carlo Caldini, Fabrizio Fiumi and Paolo Galli. Read More →

  • Livio Castiglioni (1911-1979): Italian Industrial Designer and Lighting Innovator

    Livio Castiglioni (1911-1979): Italian Industrial Designer and Lighting Innovator

    In 1938, Castiglioni and his brother Pier Giacomo Castiglioni set up a studio with Luigi Caccia Dominioni, which closed in 1940. Read More →

  • Luminous Elegance: The Iconic DL8 Lucciola Table Light by Fabio Lenci (c.1972)

    Luminous Elegance: The Iconic DL8 Lucciola Table Light by Fabio Lenci (c.1972)

    Discover the timeless beauty of the DL8 Lucciola table light designed by Fabio Lenci in approximately 1972. This iconic lighting fixture boasts an aluminum base and reflector, chrome-plated tubular metal stem, and captivating methacrylate disks. Standing at a maximum height of 72 cm, this masterpiece combines sleek aesthetics with functional brilliance, creating an illuminating ambiance…

  • Luca Erba (b. 1984) Italian Designer & Architect

    Luca Erba (b. 1984) Italian Designer & Architect

    He creates projects spanning architecture to decor, interior design, and bespoke collections using thorough territorial, material, and formal research as the cornerstones of his creative process.Read More →

  • Alessandro Mendini (b.1931) Italy’s famous design thinker

    Alessandro Mendini (b.1931) Italy’s famous design thinker

    Alessandro Mendini (b.1931) played an important part in the development of Italian, Postmodern, and Radical design. He was co-founder of Studio Alchymia (with Alessandro and Adriana Guernero) in 1976. He was awarded several international prizes, including the Compasso d’Oro in 1979, 1981, and 2014. In 2011, he was awarded with the title Doctor Honoris Causa…

You may also be interested in

Antonio Citterio (1950 – ) Italian furniture designer – Encyclopedia of Design

Antonio Citterio (1950 – ) is a leading Italian architect and interior designer, furniture and industrial designer. Citterio explored the possibilities of new materials and technologies rather than aligning himself with New Design’s more fashionable aesthetics. Citterio has designed for several leading manufacturers, including B&B Italia, Kartell, Flos and Vitra, and its work and outlook is well known internationally.

More design articles

Comments are closed, but trackbacks and pingbacks are open.