Italian architect and designer Vico Magistretti was born in Milan in 1920 into a family of architects and graduated from the Politecnico di Milano in 1945. He was part of the generation that rebuilt Milan after the war and turned the city into the capital of modern design.
Magistretti is renowned for designs of disarming simplicity, often sketched in a few lines and described to manufacturers over the phone. The Atollo lamp for Oluce, a cylinder, cone and hemisphere of light, is one of the most recognisable lamps ever made. The Maralunga sofa for Cassina, with its adjustable headrest, and the Selene chair for Artemide, moulded in a single piece of plastic, show his gift for pairing new technology with timeless form. He also worked closely with De Padova, Kartell and Fritz Hansen, and taught for many years at the Royal College of Art in London.
Awarded the Compasso d’Oro several times, Magistretti died in 2006. His designs remain in production, and his archive in Milan keeps his ideas alive.
Vico Magistretti (1920–2006) was an Italian architect and designer from Milan. One of the leading figures of postwar Italian design, he also taught at the Royal College of Art in London.
Vico Magistretti is known for the Atollo lamp for Oluce, the Maralunga sofa for Cassina and the Selene chair for Artemide, as well as long collaborations with De Padova and Kartell.
Vico Magistretti helped make Milan the centre of modern design. His simple, enduring designs won multiple Compasso d’Oro awards and many remain in production today.
est living features 20 designs by Vico Magistretti, from Oluce, Cassina, Kartell, Artemide and Fritz Hansen. Browse them on this page, where each product links to where you can buy it or enquire.
