
Luciano Baldessari (1896 – 1982) was an Italian designer. He was born in Rovereto (then Hapsburg Empire).
Education
He studied at the Politecnico di Milano until 1922.
Biography
As a young man, he collaborated with Futurist artist Fortunato Depero: in the 1920s, he made theatrical sets and was a painter. His widely published 1929 Luminator torchère was one of the few Rationalist furniture or lighting designs produced in Italy: inspired by German experimental work, it was intended to be an abstraction of an illuminated mannequin, with the curved tubular steel representing arms: foreshadowing later light sculptures.’ As an architect, Baldessari created the offices of De Angeli Frua (together with FIGINI and POLLINI). It was one of the most unpredictable manifestations of Italian Rationalism. In Milan, he designed the 1929-32 De Angeli Frua Press building (alongside Luigi Figini and Gino Pollini): 1930 Craja bar, Piazza P. Ferrari, Milan: Cima chocolate manufacture, 1932-33 (with Gio Ponti). Vesta Pavilion, Milan, 1933 (V) Milan Triennale: 1951 (IX) 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954 Triennale International Trade Fair, Breda Pavilion.
Bar Craja rationalist space
Bar Craja in Milan was the first ‘rationalist’ space in Milan and was designed by Luciano Baldessari and Gino Pollini. It was an oasis in Italy in the 1930s and was tuned in to the rest of Europe across the Alps. It was part of the same avant-garde scene of the Brera Academy, and the in-crowd sat down according to a fixed seating arrangement. (Cafes and Bars, 2007)
Recognition
His 1929 Luminator torchère was created for the Barnocchi display at the 1929 International Exhibition in Barcelona.
Cafes and Bars: The Architecture of Public Display. (2007). United Kingdom: Taylor & Francis.
Sources
Byars, M., & Riley, T. (2004). The design encyclopedia. Laurence King Publishing. https://amzn.to/3ElmSlL
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Alfredo Simonit (b.1937) – Italian furniture designer
Alfredo Simonit is an Italian designer. He was born in Romans d ‘Isonzo. Professionally active S. Giovanni al Natisone. Read More →
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Gaetano Pesce (b.1939 ) Italian architect, designer and sculptor
He established an office in Padua, where he became a founding member of Gruppo N in 1959. He experimented with programmed art and collaborated with Gruppo Zero in Germany, Groupe de Recherche d’Art Visuel in Paris (then known as Motus), and Gruppo T in Milan. Read More →
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Emilio Pucci (1914 – 1992) Italian fashion designer
A leading figure in Italian fashion in the 1950s and 1960s, Pucci studied for a year at the University of Milan. In 1935 he travelled to the United States where he also studied, returning to the University of FlorenceRead More →
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Marcello Minale (1938 – 2000) Italian designer
He worked as a designer at the Finnish advertising agency Taucker and as an art director at Mackkinointi Uiherjuuri. He was the design director at the Young and Rubicam advertising agency in London until 1964. He founded a design firm with Brian Tattersfield in 1964. Read More →
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Giancarlo Pozzi (1924 – ) Italian Industrial Designer
Pozzi’s professional career began in 1950. He worked with architect Alberto Rosselli from 1963 to 1967. From 1970 to 1974, he collaborated with Achile Castiglioni and the Ponti/Fornaroli/Rosselli Studio.Read More →
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The Wit and Humour of the Gibigiana Table Lamp
Castiglioni’s approach to design is characterised by wit and humour, which is portrayed here by a shape that resembles an animal or bird. The Gibigiana is a table light that may be adjusted. It includes a dimmer and produces reflected light. Read More →
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‘The New Domestic Landscape’ – MoMA’s ambitious design show 1972
THE NEW DOMESTIC LANDSCAPE was one of The Museum of Modern Art’s most ambitious design shows. The exhibition, directed and built by Emilio Ambasz, Curator of Design in the Museum’s Department of Architecture and Design, focused on current design trends in Italy with 180 items for everyday use and 11 environments commissioned by the Museum.Read More…
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Flavio Conti Italian architect and designer
Flavio Conti is an Italian architect and designer; born Legnago, Verona; active Milan. He studied architecture, Politecnico di Milano toRead More →
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Michele Provinciali (1921 – 2009) Italian Industrial Designer
He received the ADI’s Compasso d’Oro Award for his career in 2008. Michele Provinciali provides an alternative trend to the late rationalist approach typical of the postwar period in every art form. He is expressive, poetic, experimental, abnormal, and refined in every art form.Read More →
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Luigi Massoni (b.1930) Italian Industrial Designer
After a period of training at the Collettivo di Architettura in Milan and his first professional experiences between 1953 and 1955, he began his design career by making the cocktail shaker (1957, with Carlo Mazzeri) and the Serie 5 containers, which are still in production, for AlessiRead More →
More design articles
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- off the wall: flying thoughts: hotel, restaurant and bar design. Dreimeta 2003-2018
- Barware – Everything you need
- A Cafe Entirely Decorated with Neons
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