Floor Lamp by Gae Aulenti & Livio Castiglioni for Stilnovo, 1970s

Italian architect-designer Gaetana “Gae” Aulenti (1927-2012) was born in the town of Palazzolo dello Stella, near Trieste. Defying her parents’ wishes, she studied architecture at the Politecnico di Milano, graduating in 1954—one of only two women in a class of 20.

From 1955 to 1965, Aulenti was a contributor and Art Director for architectural magazine Casabella. During this time, she became an active proponent of the Neo Liberty movement and championed the revival of traditions motifs and individual expression, which had been discouraged during the years dominated by modernism. Through her wide-ranging work—covering industrial and exhibition design, furniture, graphics, stage design, lighting, and interior design—she became a leading voice of postmodernism as the 20th century progressed. Notably, her work was featured in MoMA’s landmark 1972 exhibition, Italy: The New Domestic Landscape, which also spotlighted the work of pioneering talents like Mario Bellini, Joe Colombo, Ettore Sottsass, and Superstudio, to name a few.

Aulenti’s architectural career is remarkable for the fact that she salvaged and repurposed a substantial number of buildings that were neglected or even set for demolition. In 1980, she was offered the difficult challenge of reinventing the old Beaux-Arts-style Gare d’Orsay railway station in Paris, transforming it into the famous Musée d‘Orsay. In this project, she chose to bridge the architectural gap between the Louvre and the Pompidou Centre by creating a cavernous and expansive interior for the museum. When the Musée d‘Orsay opened in 1986, it was deemed too radical by many critics. Aulenti, however, was quick to point out the thousands of visitors who lined up each day to visit.

Soon after, Aulenti took on more large-scale museum re-designs, including the Musée National d’Art Moderne at the Centre Pompidou (1982-85); Palazzo Grassi in Venice (1985-86); and the new Asian Art Museum in San Francisco (1996-2003). Other architectural achievements include the new entrance for Santa Maria Novella Train Station in Florence (1990); Palazzo Italia at EXPO in Seville (1992); the restoration of the Scuderie Papali at the Quirinale in Rome (1999); the renovation of Piazzale Cadorna in Milan (2000); the Museo and Dante stations on underground line 1, alongside the redesign of Piazza Cavour and Piazza Dante in Naples (1999-2002); the Catalan Museum of Art in Barcelona (1985-2004); the restoration of the Palavela in Turin for the Winter Olympic Games in 2006; the Istituto Italiano di Cultura in Tokyo (2006); and the restoration of Palazzo Branciforte in Palermo (2011).

In the areas of furniture, branding, and interior design, Aulenti was regularly commissioned by major international companies, such as Artemide, Banca Commerciale Itliana, Fiat, Ideal Standard, Knoll International, Louis Vuitton, Martinelli Luce , Olivetti , and Pirelli , among others. Iconic designs by Aulenti include the Pileino Lamp for Artemide (1972); the Giova Lamp (1964), Tavolo Con Ruote Table (1980), and Tour Table (1993) for Fontana Arte; the Sgarsul Rocking Chair (1962) and Locus Solus Chair (1963) for Poltranova ; and April Folding Chair (1964), and Sanmarco Table (1984) for Zanotta. Many of her designs remain in production today.

Aulenti won many awards over the course of her career, including the Ubi Prize for Stage Design in 1980; the Architecture Medal from the Academie d'Architecture, Paris in 1983; the Josef Hoffmann Prize from the Hochschule fur Angewandte Kunst, Vienna in 1984; France’s Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur in 1987; the Praemium Imperiale for Architecture in 1991; and the title of “Knight Grand Cross” of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic in 1995.

Aulenti passed away in 2012 at the age of 85. She remains a significant architectural influence who made incredible strides for women in her profession. 

*Images courtesy of Archivo Gae Aulenti, Artemide, Martinelli Luce, Zanotta

Brothers Livio (1911-1979), Pier Giacomo (1913-1968), and Achille (1918-2002) Castiglioni were born in Milan and worked side-by-side as industrial designers and architects.

In 1938, shortly after graduating from the Polytechnic University of Milan, Pier Giacomo, along with his brother Livio, founded a small architecture firm in Milan. They worked together with architect Luigi Caccia Dominioni to design interiors, furniture, and other objects, such as the Caccia Cutlery Set (1938) and the Fimi-Phonola 547 Radio (1939). Achille joined his two older brothers in their design practice after graduating in 1944 with a degree in architecture from the Polytechnic University of Milan. In the early years, the Castiglioni studio derived its main income from exhibition design, but they also restored buildings destroyed by the war, such as the Palazzo Della Permanente in 1952. Livio left to start his own practice in 1952; today, he is best known for his Boalum Lamp for Artemide (1970/71)—a light featuring internally lit, flexible plastic tubing—which he co-designed with Gianfranco Frattini (1926-2004).

Working in the midst of the Italian design Renaissance of the 1950s and ’60s, both Achille and Pier Giacomo were dedicated to creating visually appealing, yet technically innovative designs. They played a vital role in the foundation of the Compasso d’Oro prize, for decades recognized as one of the world’s most prestigious industrial design awards. Achille was also head of Facoltà di Architettura at the Politecnico, where he influenced a generation of Italian designers. Their legacy is still felt today, as they are among the most celebrated designers of the 20^th century—especially among diehard design lovers. Their prolific output included many collaborations with major Italian manufacturers, such as Flos for lighting, Zanotta for furniture, and Alessi for home goods. Other prestigious clients include B&B Italia, Bernini, Brionvega, Danese, Gavina, Kartell, Knoll, Moroso, Poggi, and Siemens.

Both Achille and Pier Giacomo were keenly interested in experimenting with new materials and techniques for industrial production. One notable example is “cocoon skin,” a material composed of sprayed polymer plastic fibers that solidified into a flexible membrane; the brothers initially saw a this substance used by the US military, and soon after acquired the patent. The Castiglioni brothers used this resin applied over a steel structure to create the iconic, cocoon-like forms of their Viscontea Lamp (1960), Taraxacum Chandeliers (1960), and Gato Table Lights (1960) for Flos.

Additionally, the brothers were eager to find inspiration in the everyday, and, as such, they often worked with found objects and components. Standout pieces in this vein include the Mezzadro Seat (1954-7) and Sella Seat (1957), both eventually put into production by Zanotta, and the Arco Floor Lamp (1962) and Toio Floor Lamp (1962), both produced by Flos.

Pier Giacomo unfortunately died early in 1968; Achille continued to work on his own until his own death in 2002. Today, many of the brothers’ designs are on display at museums and galleries around the world, including the Vitra Design Museum in Germany, the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, and the MoMA in New York. In honor of their achievements and contributions, over the course of their careers, they collectively received nine Compasso d´Oro awards. Today, Castiglioni lighting is highlysought-after on the vintage market.  

Italian lighting manufacturer Stilnovo was founded by designer Bruno Gatta in 1946 in Lainate, an industrial suburb of Milan. In response to the aftermath World War II—at a time when Italy was focused on rebuilding under conditions of scarcity—Gatta dedicated Stilnovo to the production of innovative lighting elements that embody rationalist, form-follows-function principles.

In the postwar era, designer Gaetano Sciolari took on the role of in-house designer. As economic recovery swept through Italy, Stilnovo became known as a prestigious and cutting-edge brand for both public and private spaces.

In the mid-1960s, Bruno’s son, Dino Gatta, had the idea to invite some of the best designers of the day to develop new products, and Stilnovo became a hotbed of progressive design ideas and a laboratory for material experimentation. Standouts from this futuristic era include the Periscopio Floor Lamp (1967) by Danilo & Corrado Aroldi, the Treiedo Spotlight (1970) and the Topo Adjustable Wall Lamp (1970) by Joe Colombo, the Lucetta Table Lamp (1970) by Cini Boeri, the Fante Desk Lamp (1978) by De Pas, D’Urbino, Lomazzi, and the Valigia Desk Lamp (1977) by Ettore Sottsass. Many Stillnovo pieces were exhibited in MoMA’s landmark Italy: The New Domestic Landscape exhibition in 1972.

Massimo Anselmi, an art director from the worlds of fashion design and contemporary art, acquired Stilnovo in 2012 and launched re-editions of iconic Stilnovo designs at Salone the following year.