Castiglioni MOMA

MoMA.org | Interactives | Exhibitions | 1997 | Achille Castiglioni: Design!
| Index
Design is one of the highest expressions of twentiethcentury creativity, and Achille Castiglioni is one of its
greatest masters. His objects stand as clear examples of
rigorous method, technical skill, exuberant talent, and wit,
combined to achieve a beauty that is fulfilling on both a
rational and an emotional level. His work exemplifies the
ideal of good design. This first museum retrospective of
his work in the United States is thus a celebration not only
of the designer, but of the entire discipline in which he
excels.
Castiglioni was born in 1918 and studied architecture at
the Polytechnic in Milan. Just after World War II he joined
the studio run by his two older brothers Livio and Pier
Giacomo, also architects. When Livio left the practice in
1952, Achille and Pier Giacomo collaborated until the
latter's premature death in 1968.
During the course of his long career, which continues
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MoMA.org | Interactives | Exhibitions | 1997 | Achille Castiglioni: Design! | Index
today, Castiglioni has designed dozens of objects, as well

as temporary architecture for numerous art exhibitions,
trade fairs, and showrooms. This exhibition presents a
selection of these objects, as well as three reconstructed
rooms from 1957, 1965, and 1984 that further
demonstrate his design philosophy, based on observation
and free association.
Castiglioni views the world as a wonderful catalogue of
objects that can provide a designer with ideas and
guidance, and his own work is often inspired by everyday
things. The designer's personal collection of found objects,
gathered over a lifetime of curiosity, consists of objects
with lives of their own. Independent of any designer's
name, these objects become the means through which he
pursues and recognizes good design--a lens through
which his work can best be understood.
With his functional and purist yet playful objects,
Castiglioni has shown that form and function, while
certainly the main ingredients for successful design,
cannot be a designer's only concerns. He has thus
contributed invaluably to updating modernist design to
contemporary modern.
Paola Antonelli
Associate Curator
Department of Architecture and Design
The full text of this essay is available.

The exhibition is organized by The Museum of Modern Art,
New York, in collaboration with Cosmit, Organizing Committee
of the Italian Furniture Exhibition, Milan, Italy. This exhibition is
made possible by a generous grant from Maureen and
Marshall S. Cogan. Additional support is provided by Agnes
Bowne, Alessi, Cosmit, Abitare, Campeggi S.r.l., Flos, and
M2L, Inc. The brochure and the education programs
accompanying the exhibition are made possible by a generous
grant from the furniture division of the Italian Trade
Commission.
MoMA.org | Interactives | Exhibitions | 1997 | Achille Castiglioni: Design! | Index
1997 The Museum of Modern Art, New York
MoMA.org | Interactives | Exhibitions | 1997 | Achille Castiglioni: Design! | Intro
Design is one of the highest expressions of twentieth-century creativity, and

Achille Castiglioni is one of its greatest masters. His objects stand as clear
examples of rigorous method, technical skill, exuberant talent, and wit, combined
to achieve a beauty that is fulfilling on both a rational and an emotional level. His
work exemplifies the ideal of good design. This first museum retrospective of his
work in the United States is thus a celebration not only of the designer, but of the
entire discipline in which he excels.
Castiglioni was born in 1918 and studied architecture at the Polytechnic in Milan.
Just after World War II he joined the studio run by his two older brothers Livio and
Pier Giacomo, also architects. When Livio left the practice in 1952, Achille and
Pier Giacomo collaborated until the latter's premature death in 1968.
During the course of his long career, which continues today, Castiglioni has
designed dozens of objects, as well as temporary architecture for numerous art
exhibitions, trade fairs, and showrooms. This exhibition presents a selection of
these objects, as well as three reconstructed rooms from 1957, 1965, and 1984
that further demonstrate his design philosophy, based on observation and free
http://www.moma.org/interactives/exhibitions/1997/castiglioni/intro.html (1 of 2) [4/6/2012 12:20:10 PM]
MoMA.org | Interactives | Exhibitions | 1997 | Achille Castiglioni: Design! | Intro
association.
Castiglioni views the world as a wonderful catalogue of objects that can provide a
designer with ideas and guidance, and his own work is often inspired by everyday
things. The designer's personal collection of found objects, gathered over a
lifetime of curiosity, consists of objects with lives of their own. Independent of any
designer's name, these objects become the means through which he pursues and
recognizes good design--a lens through which his work can best be understood.
With his functional and purist yet playful objects, Castiglioni has shown that form
and function, while certainly the main ingredients for successful design, cannot be
a designer's only concerns. He has thus contributed invaluably to updating
modernist design to contemporary modern.
Paola Antonelli
Associate Curator
The full text of this essay is available.

The exhibition is organized by The Museum of Modern Art, New York, in collaboration
with Cosmit, Organizing Committee of the Italian Furniture Exhibition, Milan, Italy. This
exhibition is made possible by a generous grant from Maureen and Marshall S. Cogan.
Additional support is provided by Agnes Bowne, Alessi, Cosmit, Abitare, Campeggi S.r.l.,
Flos, and M2L, Inc. The brochure and the education programs accompanying the
exhibition are made possible by a generous grant from the furniture division of the Italian
Trade Commission.
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MoMA.org | Interactives | Exhibitions | 1997 | Achille Castiglioni: Design! | Curator's Essay
Italian architect and designer Achille Castiglioni (b.1918), to whom The Museum
of Modern Art dedicates this first individual retrospective in the United States, is
an internationally acknowledged master of design. During his fifty-two-year
career, he has designed and collaborated on almost 150 objects, including lamps,
stools, bookshelves, electrical switches, cameras,
telephones, vacuum cleaners, and car seats.
Several of his works, such as the Arco and the Brera
lamps, are featured in the design collections of many
museums. They are also familiar to many people
who use them in their homes, even if Castiglioni's
name may not be. This exhibition presents a wide
selection of objects, as well as special
reconstructions of three rooms chosen from his
dozens of installations for art exhibitions, trade fairs,
and showrooms. His work, which has had a powerful
impact on the history of the applied arts and has
Achille Castiglioni in his
taught generations about good design, provides an
studio, under an "Arco"
overview of the characteristics that make design one
lamp, sitting on "Sanluca"
of the highest expressions of twentieth-century
chair, next to a "Rochcetto"
table.
creativity.
Immediately after graduating from the Architectural School of the Polytechnic of
Milan in the late 1930s, Achille Castiglioni's older brothers Livio and Pier Giacomo
opened an office on the mezzanine of a building facing the Sforza Castle in Milan.
As with many other Italian architects at that time, the lack of major architectural
assignments led them to concentrate on smaller-scale design projects. Alone or in
collaboration with architect Luigi Caccia Dominioni, they designed interiors,
exhibition installations, furniture, and
objects. Among these were the 1938 Caccia
cutlery set, which is still in production today
and remains ubiquitous in Italian homes.
Their spectacular five-valve radio receiver
from 1939, manufactured by Phonola, was
one of the first radios to move away from the
traditional heavy cupboard setup, and
served as a milestone of organic design in
plastic, comparable to Isamu Noguchi's
Achille, Pier Giacomo, and Livio
Radio Nurse of 1937. Achille joined his
Castiglioni working in their studio
brothers as a licensed architect after the
(1952)
close of World War II. In 1952, Livio left the
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office and set out on his own to design lighting and sound installations. Until Pier
Giacomo's premature death in 1968, he and Achille worked together on a
multitude of designs, both concentrating on the same task, rather than dividing up
the work. Many of their objects, like the Arco and Parentesi lamps, are still in
production. The clarity and wit that characterizes their combined efforts is also
evident in Achille's solo production from 1968 to the present day.
Castiglioni's creative method seems so lucid and logical it could be an example
taken from a manual on the design process, but only a designer with skill and
experience can achieve the leap from a sound, well-reasoned process to a
beautiful working object. Castiglioni nonetheless acknowledges the standard
principles of his practice: "Start from scratch. Stick to common sense. Know your
goals and means." In other words, the designer must not take for granted any
previous similar object, must understand the reason for creating a new product or
improving an existing one, and must be aware of the available resources. For
each object, the designer then has to "try to find a Principal Design Component,
and build upon it." If this part of his process sounds almost mathematical, the
Principal Design Components, or PDCs, of some of his objects are so quirky as to
seem absurd. Still, these PDCs always initiate a rigorously thoughtful design
process that is remarkable in its respect for materials and production techniques
and its concern for the formal balance of the final product.
Castiglioni loves paradoxes and the new perception and wisdom they can
engender. One example is the Sella (saddle), the pivoting stool designed with
Pier Giacomo in 1957, which garnered the Castiglionis an incongruous "Dadaist"
label because of its use of an already existing, everyday object in an unexpected
context. The Sella is made of a leather bicycle seat, a tubular metal stem, and a
rounded cast-iron base. Its inspiration induces smiles: "When I use a pay phone,"
says the designer, "I like to move around, but I also would like to sit, but not
completely." The Principal Design Component was in this case a new behavior, a
consequence of a more probing understanding of an object's combined form and
function, which is often the focus of Castiglioni's
work. "I try to suggest different behaviors," he has
declared, expressing his idea that the designer
must be the interpreter of both real and virtual
needs, those that people discover only after
having them satisfied first. Virtual needs, the
means to a consumers' market, are here
demonstrated in their pre-cynical form. With the
effortless composition of the three Sella
elements, the designers both invented and
fulfilled a need that arose from perceptive
imagination; at the same time, they designed a
new but thoroughly convincing behavior-a hybrid between sitting and pacing
nervously.
The Sella parable is instructive, but it is not necessarily representative of the
whole of Castiglioni's production. His ideas are often inspired by everyday things,
and the statement "Design demands observation" has become one of his many
mottos. A street lamp was the springboard for the brothers' famous Arco lamp
(1962), in which the light source is projected almost eight feet away from the
marble base as if it were coming from the ceiling, while their Toio lamp (1962)
was based on a car's front reflector. The idea for an object sometimes comes to
Castiglioni while he is working on an entirely separate assignment, such as an
exhibition design. Ideas can also derive from technological advances, like the
introduction of the thin fluorescent tube which suggested the Tubino lamp (1951).
Drawing on the classifications made by Paolo Ferrari in his 1984 book Achille
Castiglioni, Castiglioni himself divides his work into various groupings. The Sella
belongs to the category of Ready-made Objects, as do the Mezzadro (1957)a
stool composed of a mass-produced tractor seat, a bent steel bar, a wood bar,
and a wing screw-and the above-mentioned Toio lamp-made from a car reflector,
a transformer that also works as heavy base, a formed metal handle, a hexagonal
stem, three fishing rod rings, and a single screw. His Ready-made Objects evolve
like living things: the components of the Mezzadro stool have been updated as
the manufacture of tractor seats has changed without damaging the purity of the
object. Castiglioni refers to another grouping as Redesigned Objects, meaning
traditional objects that he has perfected or updated according to current needs
and technological developments. These include his personal takes on small
outdoor caf tables (Cumano, 1979), ashtrays (Spirale, 1971), glass globe ceiling
lamps (Brera, 1992), and bedside tables (Comodo, 1989). The Minimalist group
contains such subtle icons as the Luminator floor lamp of 1955, which is simply a
bulb in a tube on a tripod-the tube just big enough to accommodate the socket
and to contain the three thin legs during transportation-as well as the Fucsia
hanging lamp of 1996, simply an upside-down glass cone with its edges sanded
to protect the eyes from the bulb's glare. The Snoopy table lamp of 1967, so
named after its prominent beagle-like nose, and the anthropomorphic RR126
stereo system of 1966, endowed with eyes, movable ears, and a mouth, are two
of his so-called Expressionistic Objects, while the sleek curvilinear shells of
appliances like the 1956 Spalter vacuum cleaner and the 1968 VLM light switch
are among his Integral Projects.
Although such classification is useful up to a point, what is most important is the
fact that behind each of these varied and unique objects lies a story. The
perceived need that inspired the object can be equated to the conflict central to
any narrative, and the design itself then acts as the resolution, the happy ending.
The illustrated vignettes by Steven Guarnaccia that appear throughout the

exhibition communicate the solution to the project in a few knowing lines,
eloquently conveying the genesis of the idea in a concrete situation. These
drawings illustrate Castiglioni's design process, already inherent in the objects
themselves.
Castiglioni's design approach can best be understood within the context of the
cultural climate of which he was a product, and which he in turn helped to shape.
Like other Italian designers and architects such as Marco Zanuso and Ettore
Sottsass, he benefited from a fortuitous combination of trends that has made
Italian design a worldwide force. In part because Italian culture has always been
founded on a tradition of the fine arts and of skillful craftsmanship, and in part
because the disruption of World War II had created a need for newly designed
and produced objects to restore the country's quality of life, Italy was poised for a
design renaissance in the 1950s. The seemingly disparate sectors of culture,
technology, and the economy enjoyed harmonious cooperation toward the
common goal of rejuvenation. In the absence of architectural projects, architects
focused on designing smaller objects. Talented architects still looking for
commissions met ambitious manufacturers eager to bring their pre-existing
companies up to date or to boost their new enterprises. The relatively small size
of their family-based companies and their attention to detail and craftsmanship
caused them to take risks and embrace innovative design. These manufacturers
put at the designers' disposal all their technical skill and resources, along with
their knowledge of the technological breakthroughs occurring in the postwar
period. The long-lasting relationships between designers and manufacturers that
were established during that time-like those between Zanuso and Brionvega
(television manufacturer), between Sottsass and Olivetti (typewriter and computer
manufacturer), or between the Castiglionis and Flos, the lighting fixtures company
that still produces their lamps-were based on shared creative vision and
understanding. In addition, both these groups benefited from the presence of
ingenious engineers and technicians, as well as from world-renowned architecture
and design publications like Domus, which facilitated the international exchange
of ideas. Concurrently, Italy's economic boom of the 1950s and 1960s allowed the
production and consumption of this new design to become a reality.
For many years, Castiglioni disseminated his design
philosophy through his work as an educator. His
peculiar teaching style seamlessly merged an almost
anthropological approach to design with the advanced
study of manufacturing processes and material
technology. Until he retired from teaching almost ten
years ago, he offered the most entertaining and popular
Industrial Design course in the chaotic and
overcrowded Architectural School of the Polytechnic of

Milan. During the 1980s, when I was his student and
the head count was 13,000, he typically came to class
with a large Mary Poppins-like black bag, from which
he would extract and line up on the table that day's
chosen pieces from his stupendous collection of found
objects: toys made from beer cans that he had bought
in Teheran; odd eyeglasses and eye protection
screens; galoshes from the USSR; wooden stools from
Aspen, Colorado; colanders; small suction cups strong
enough to lift a table. These were the most effective
tools of design instruction.
A selection from Achille
Castiglioni's collection
of found objects.
Castiglioni demonstrated to his throngs of students the

vernacular ingeniousness of seemingly unremarkable
objects. One such example was a milking stool,
consisting of a round piece of wood as a seat with a round incision into which fit
the single wooden leg. Both parts were held together by a strip of leather, so that
the stool could be carried over the shoulder. Standing on a table, Castiglioni
mimed its use by milking an invisible cow, thus highlighting the pure relationship
between form and function. He chose to show objects that clearly had a life of
their own, derived from material culture and independent of any designer's name.
By emphasizing that the success of these objects resulted from their fulfilling a
functional task with wit and common sense and within the available resources, he
initiated his students' discovery of the design process for themselves.
Castiglioni has often said, "What you need is a constant and consistent way of
designing, not a style." His own way has been to focus on understanding objects,
basing his designs on a narrative approach in which observed or imagined need
results in a satisfying design solution. Castiglioni has shown that while form and
function are the main ingredients for successful design, they cannot be the
designer's only concerns. His flexibility has allowed him to design a vast array of
stylistically varied objects. Today, at age seventy-nine, he is still as energetic and
driven as ever and is still working on many assignments at a time, applying his
philosophy and methodology with wit, curiosity, and a combination of exuberance
and understatement. Over the course of his long career, Castiglioni has, with his
purist yet playful and individual objects, helped to update modernist design to
Paola Antonelli
Associate Curator
7000 trays, 1983

Stainless steel, plastic, 19 5/8 x 11 13/16 x 2"
Manufactured and lent by Alessi
Some of these straightforward trays have interchangeable
plastic handles in bright colors.
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MoMA.org | Interactives | Exhibitions | 1997 | Achille Castiglioni: Design! | Checklist
5C handles, 1983
Stainless steel or brass, 5 1/4 x 5 1/4 x 2 5/16"
Manufactured and lent by Fusital
7000 trays, 1983
Stainless steel, plastic 19 5/8 x 11 13/16 x 2"
AC01/03 oil and vinegar set, 1984
Stainless steel, glass,10 1/4 x 6 5/8 x 6 5/8"
AC04 fruitbowl, 1996 (1995)
Stainless steel and aluminum, 8 x 9 13/16"
Ala dust collector, 1996
Stainless steel, 5/16 x 6 x 1 1/2"
Allunaggio garden seats, 1980 (1966)
Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni
Stove-enamelled steel,
aluminum seat, nylon feet,
16 1/2 x 31 1/2 x 39 5/16"
Manufactured and lent by Zanotta
Amici napkin holders,1996
Stainless steel or epoxy painted steel, 2 x 2 x 2"
Aoy floor lamp,1975
Translucent and opaline glass,
23 5/8 x 11 13/16 x 11 13/16"
Manufactured and lent by Flos
Arco floor lamp, 1962
Carrara marble base, stainless steel stem,
and steel reflector, 95 x 78 5/8 x 11 1/2"
Manufactured by Flos
Objects in the Photomontage

Head: "Brera" lamp, 1992;
Hair: "Joy" shelves, 1990;
Ears: VLM switches, 1968;
Eyebrows: "Sciuko" lamp (not
in exhibition), 1966; Eyes:
"Record" wristwatch, 1989,
and "Toio" lamp, 1962; Nose:
"Fucsia" lamp, 1996; Mouth:
"Spirale" ashtray, 1970; Chin:
"Linda" bathroom sink (not in
exhibition), 1965; Shoulders:
"Velella" lamps, 1967; Chest:
"Firenze" wall clocks, 1965;
Tie: "Imperiale" (1983) and
"Polet" (1992) Chaise
Lounges; Belly: "Taraxacum
88" Hanging Lamp, 1988;
Pelvis: "Mezzadro" seat, 1957;
ARMS: Right: "7000" Trays,
large, medium, small, 1983;
"Primate" seat, 1970; "Sleek"
mayonnaise spoons, 1962;
Left: "Tubino" Lamps, 1951;
Lancia automobile seat (not in
exhibition), 1973; "Record"
wristwatch, 1989; "Velella"
Lamp, 1967; "Mezzadro"
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The Museum of Modern Art,

gift of the manufacturer
Basello low table, 1987
Wood, steel, 17 x 25 1/2 x 12"
Manufactured by Zanotta
Lent by M2L
Seats, 1957; LEGS: Right:

Spalter vacuum cleaners,
1956; Left: "Gibigiana" Lamps,
1980; Feet: "Noce" floor lamps,
1972
Bavero tableware, 1997

Porcelain, various dimensions
Beer glasses, 1964
Glass, (small) 5 x 3 1/4 x 3 1/4",
(big) 6 x 3 1/4 x 3 1/4"
Manufactured by Poretti
Lent by Studio Castiglioni
Bibip floor lamps, 1977
Ceramic, steel, aluminum,
85 x 9 13/16 x 9 13/16"
Black & White hanging lamp, 1965
Glass and steel, 14 1/2 x 19 5/8 x 19 5/8"
Borsalino hat, 1980, prototype
Rabbit hair felt shaped on pudding form,
4 3/4 x 11 13/16 x 11 13/16"
Manufactured by Borsalino
Brera hanging and floor lamps, 1992
Acid-treated blown glass, steel, plastic,
11 13/16 x 6 x 6"
Broadcasting Receiver, 1968 (1967)
Plastic, metal, 3 1/2 x 13 13/16 x 7 13/16"
Manufactured by Brionvega
Cacciavite table, 1981 (1966)
Wood, 13 13/16 x 20 1/2 x 25 1/2"

Manufactured by Bernini and Zanotta
Lent by M2L
Camilla bench, 1984
Achille Castiglioni and Giancarlo Pozzi
Wood, steel, 39 13/16 x 38 1/4 x 24 3/8"
Lent by M2L
Children's camera, 1958, prototype
Plaster, plastic, 6 x 4 3/4 x 6"
Manufactured by Ferrania
Comodo bedside table, 1989
Wood, steel, 31 x 12 x 16"
Manufactured by Interflex and Longoni
Lent by Longoni
Cumano table, 1979 (1977)
Steel, nylon, 21 5/8 x 44 1/2 x 2 3/4"
Lent by M2L
Dry cutlery, 1982
Stainless steel, 9 1/2 x 1 1/4 x 5/16"
Electrical switch, 1968
Plastic, 1 x 2 x 1"
Manufactured by VLM
Firenze wall clock, 1996 (1965)
ABS plastic, 14 1/4 x 14 1/4"
Frisbi hanging lamp, 1978
Steel, metacrylate,
31 1/2 x 22 13/16 x 22 13/16"
Fucsia hanging lamps, 1996
Glass, silicon, steel,

13 5/8 x 6 5/16 x 6 5/16"
Lent by Flos USA
Gibigiana table lamps, 1980
Aluminum, plastic, mirror,
20 1/2 x 5 1/4 x 4"
Ginevra folding armchair, 1979
Wood, 36 x 17 1/2 x 16"
Manufactured and lent by
BBB emmebonacina
Giovi wall lamp, 1982
Steel, 6 5/16 x 11 x 11"
Lent by Flos USA
Grand Prix cutlery, 1996 (1959)
Stainless steel, various dimensions
Manufactured by Reed & Barton and Alessi
Lent by Alessi
Hilly sofa and seats, 1992
Polyurethane, fabric, wood, steel, various sizes
Manufactured and lent by Cassina
Imperiale chaise lounge, 1983
Steel, wood, and fabric,
47 5/16 x 25 5/8 x 31 13/16"
Lent by M2L
Ipotenusa table lamp, 1976 (1975)
Stainless steel, acrylic, 27 1/2 x 27 1/2 x 7"
Irma chair, 1979
Steel frame, cowhide, 35 3/8 x 16 1/2 x 17 5/16"
Lent by M2L
Joy shelves, 1990
Wood and steel, 75 1/4 x 11 13/16 x 37 13/16"
Lampadina table or wall lamp, 1972

Aluminum reel, socket, bulb,
9 1/2 x 5 1/4 x 5 1/4"
Leonardo table, 1969 (1950)
Wood, steel, 27 1/2 x 39 3/8 x 78 13/16"
Lent by M2L
Luminator floor lamp, 1994 (1955)
Steel, 51 1/4 x 6 x 6"
Manufactured Gilardi & Barzaghi, Artform,
and Flos
Lent by Flos
Lungangolo bookshelves, 1991
Wood, 90 x 14 x 14"
Manufactured by Bernini
Lent by DDC Domus Design Collection
Mate tray with stand, 1992
Wood, 16 1/2 x 23 5/16 x 19 1/2"
Manufactured by De Padova
Lent by Luminaire
Mayonnaise jar and spoon, 1962, prototype
Glass and plaster, 8"
Merlino bookstand, 1988
Wood, 45 1/2 x 31 1/2 x 23 1/2"
Mezzadro seat, 1971 (1957)
Chromium-plated steel stem, lacquered metal
tractor seat, kiln-dried beech footrest,
19 5/8 x 17 5/16 x 15"
Lent by M2L
Milk glass, 1996
Glass, 6 5/8 x 2 3/4 x 2 3/4"
Manufactured by Ritzenhoff Cristall

Lent by Sieger
Moni ceiling lamp, 1982
Steel, 6 x 19 5/8 x 19 5/8"
Lent by Flos USA
Noce floor lamp, 1972
Steel, glass, 7 13/16 x 14 1/2 x 10 5/8"
Ondula fruitbowl, 1996
Stainless or painted steel,
4 x 11 13/16 x 11 13/16"
Orseggi glasses, 1996 (1965)
Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni,
with Luigi Veronelli
Crystal, Champagne: 7 1/2 x 2 x 2"
Water: 3 1/2 x 2 3/4 x 2 3/4"
Wine: 6 5/16 x 3 1/4 x 3 1/4"
Manufactured by Arnolfo di Cambio and Alessi
Lent by Alessi
Ovio glasses, 1983
Crystal, thermoplastic elastomer,
various dimensions
Manufactured by Danese and Alias
Lent by Alias
Parentesi hanging lamp, 1971 (1970)
Achille Castiglioni and Pio Manz
Rubber, stainless steel, cast-iron, 23 5/8 x 6 x 6"
Paro goblets, 1995 (1983)
Crystal, 7 13/16 x 4 x 4"
Lent by Alias
Phil oil and vinegar set
with parmesan cheese pot, 1982
Glass, stainless steel, various dimensions
Polet chaise lounge, 1992
Wood, hand-crafted mattress,

69 5/8 x 27 1/2 x 33 1/2"
Manufactured by Interflex
Lent by Flou
Primate seat, 1970
Baydur, polystyrene, polyurethane,
stainless steel,
18 1/4 x 31 1/2 x 18 1/4"
Quark table, 1982
Achille Castiglioni and Paolo Ferrari
Wood, 28 1/2 x 53 1/2 x 23"
Manufactured and lent by BBB emmebonacina
Record wrist watch, 1989
Achille Castiglioni and Max Huber
Metal, textile band, glass, 5/16 x 7 13/16 x 2"
Relemme hanging lamp, 1962
Rubber, porcelain, steel, 7 13/16 x 15 x 15"
Riplisse ceiling lamp, 1988 (1985)
Blow-molded, 13/16 x 18 1/4 x 18 1/4"
Rocchetto table, 1967
Polyester, 23 5/8 x 23 5/8 x 19 5/8"
Manufactured and lent by Kartell
Rocket slide projector, 1960
Plastic, aluminum, 7 x 7 13/16 x 11 13/16"
RR 126 stereo system, 1965
Plastic laminate, masonite, steel,
36 1/4 x 13 13/16 x 23 5/8"
Lent by George and Louise Beylerian

Sanluca armchair, 1960
Leather, polyutherane foam, rosewood, leather,
39 3/8 x 33 1/2 x 31 1/2"
Manufactured by Gavina, Knoll, and Bernini
Sella stool, 1983 (1957)
Leather, pink laquered steel, cast iron, 28 x 13"
Lent by M2L
Servi series, 1961-74
Steel, plastic, and other materials, various dimensions
Lent by M2L
Sleek mayonnaise spoon, 1996 (1962)
Polymethylmetacrylate, 4 3/4 x 2 3/4 x 2 3/4"
Snoopy lamp, 1967
Glass, marble, steel, 15 3/4 x 15 3/4 x 15 3/4"
Spalter vacuum cleaner, 1956
Aluminum, nylon, leather,
7 13/16 x 19 5/8 x 7 13/16"
Manufactured by Rem
Spirale ashtrays, 1984 (1971)
Stainless steel, 2 3/4 x 6 5/8 x 6 5/8"
Splgen Bru hanging lamp, 1961
Aluminum, 9 13/16 x 15 3/4 x 15 3/4"
Stylos floor lamp, 1985 (1984)
Polymethylmetacrylate, steel,
78 3/4 x 13 13/16 x 13 13/16"

Taccia table lamp, 1962
Aluminum, glass, steel, 24 3/8 x 19 5/8 x 19 5/8"
Taraxacum and Viscontea hanging lamps, 1960
Gatto floor lamps, 1962
Plastic polymer, steel frame,
23 5/8 x 13 3/4 x 13 3/4"
Taraxacum and Gatto are lent by Flos
Viscontea is part of the collection
of The Museum of Modern Art
Gift of the manufacturer
Taraxacum 88 hanging lamp, 1988
Aluminum, light bulbs, 23 5/8 x 23 5/8 x 23 5/8"
Teli hanging lamps, 1973 (1959)
Raflon. cloth, anodized aluminum, brass,
23 5/8 x 15 x 15 3/4"
Manufactured by Kartell and Flos
Lent by Flos
Toio floor lamp, 1962
Car reflector lamp, steel, 67 x 8 5/8 x 8 5/8"
Trac table,1976
Wood, 29 x 31 x 31"
Translator's earphones, 1967
Thermoplastic material,
3 1/4 x 7 13/16 x 7 13/16"
Manufactured by Phoebus Alter
Tric folding chairs, 1975 (1965)

Wood, 41 x 17 3/4 x 4"
Lent by Campeggi
Trio shelves,1991
Wood, 48 x 16 x 16"
Manufactured and lent by Longoni
Tubino floor lamp, 1974 (1951)
Aluminum, enameled steel,
13 3/8 x 27 1/2 x 9 1/2"
Velella ceiling lamp, 1967
Steel plate, opaline glass,
7 13/16 x 17 3/4 x 17 3/4"
Ventosa lamp, 1962
Rubber, steel, 4 3/4 x 2 3/8 x 2 3/8"
ENVIRONMENTS
Colori e Forme Nella Casa d'Oggi,
(Colors and Shapes in Today's Home)
Exhibition at Villa Olmo, Como, 1957
Cubo armchair, 1957
Foam, rubber, steel, 28 5/16 x 31 1/2 x 31 1/2"
Manufactured by Arflex
Libreria Appesa hanging bookshelves,
1966 (1957)
Steel, wood, 43 5/16 x 11 13/16 x 4"
Steel, 51 1/4 x 6 x 6"

Manufactured Gilardi & Barzaghi, Artform, and Flos
Mezzadro seat, 1957, prototype
Chromed steel, enameled metal, wood,
19 5/8 x 17 5/16 x 15"
Leather, pink lacquered steel, and
cast iron, 28 x 13"
La Casa Abitata, Firenze, 1965
Beer glasses and tray, 1964
Glass and aluminum, various dimensions
Lent by Alessi
Milano table, 1964
Wood, 29 1/2 x 34 1/4 x 79 1/4"
Manufactured by Gavina
Lent by Campeggi
Water: 3 1/2 x 2 3/4 x 2 3/4"

Wine: 6 5/16 x 3 1/4 x 3 1/4"
Lent by Alessi
Rampa dresser, 1965
Wood, 51 1/2 x 40 1/4 x 35 3/8"
Lent by Bernini
Wood, 41 x 17 3/4 x 4"
Manufactured and lent by Bernini
Ventosa lamp, 1962
Rubber, steel, 4 3/4 x 2 3/8 x 2 3/8"
Wall Clock, 1965, prototype
Metal, 3 1/4 x 15 x 15"
Tokyo
Albero vase racks, 1983
Lacquered steel, 61 3/8 x 22 13/16 x 22 13/16"
Steel, nylon, 21 5/8 x 44 1/2 x 2 3/4"
Dry cutlery, 1982
Noce floor lamps, 1972
Steel, glass, 7 13/16 x 14 1/2 x 10 5/8"

Ovio glasses, 1983
various dimensions
Lent by Alias
Phil salt shakers, 1982
Glass, stainless steel, 3 1/2 x 1 1/2"
Primate seats, 1970
stainless steel
18 1/4 x 31 1/2 x 18 1/4"
MoMA.org | Interactives | Exhibitions | 1997 | Achille Castiglioni: Design! | Biography
1918
Born February 16 in Milan, Italy.
1944
Graduated March 15 in Architecture from the Polytechnic of Milan.
1944-present
Freelance architect and designer with a studio in Piazza Castello.
1947
Begins collaboration with his brothers Pier Giacomo and Livio.
1947-present
Present at the Triennale in Milan as a member of the organizing committee, or as the exhibition's
designer, or by displaying his works.
1952
End of part-time collaboration with his brother Livio.
1955
Receives the Italian "Compasso d'Oro" award.
1956
Among the founders of the A.D.I. (Association of Industrial Design).
1960, 1962, 1964, 1967
1968
End of continuous collaboration with his brother Pier Giacomo because of the latter's death.
1969
Awarded full professorship in "Artistic Industrial Design" by the Ministry of Public Education.
1970-1977
Professor of "Artistic Industrial Design" in the Department of Architecture of the Polytechnic of
Turin.
1977
Wins the competition at the Ministry of Public Education for "Architectural Design."
1977-1980
Visiting lecturer at the Department of Architecture at the Polytechnic of Turin, and holds the
http://www.moma.org/interactives/exhibitions/1997/castiglioni/biography.html (1 of 3) [4/6/2012 12:20:22 PM]
professorship of "Interior Architecture and Design".

1979
1981-1986
Full professor at the Department of Architecture at the Polytechnic of Milan. Teaches "Interior
Architecture and Design."
1984
1984-1985
Organizes and designs the exhibition Achille Castiglioni Designer at the Oesterreichisches
Museum fr Angewandte Kunst (March), the Akademie der Kunst, Berlin (June), the Triennale di
Milano (November) and the Kunstgewerbe-Museum, Zurich (February 1985).
1985-present
A member of the Advisory Committee of the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena,
California and Montreux, Switzerland.
1986
Full professorship at the Department of Architecture of the Polytechnic of Milan, teaching
"Industrial Design," and an honorary member of the Faculty of Royal Designers for Industry of
the Royal Society of Art in London.
Receives the golden medal for "Civic Good Services" from the Municipal Authority of Milan.
Receives the "Five Stars" award of the ADI together with Techotel.
1987
Receives the Degree Honoris Causa from the Royal College of Art in London.
Receives the First Class Diploma in School, Culture and Art from the Ministry of Public
Education, Italy.
1989
1993
Receives the annual award from The Chartered Society of Designers in London and the
"Barcelona Design" award of the Department of Culture of Catalunya.
1995
Receives the "Art sur table" award from the Ministre de l'Industrie, Paris.
1996
Receives the Frankfurt "Design Plus Award".

About ten of Castiglioni's works are in the collection of The Museum of Modern Art in New York
and others are in the collection of the Victoria & Albert Museum, London; the KunstgewerbeMuseum, Zurich; the Staatliches Museum fr Kunst, Munich; the Uneleckoprumyslove Museum,
Prague; and the Israel Museum, Jerusalem.
Castiglioni has taken part in several round tables on Industrial Design in Italy and abroad and has
been a member of both national and international juries.
1997 The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Photo of Achille Castiglioni by Cesare Colombo
MoMA.org | Interactives | Exhibitions | 1997 | Achille Castiglioni: Design! | Bibliography
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MoMA.org | Interactives | Exhibitions | 1997 | Achille Castiglioni: Design! | Credits
The curator wishes to acknowledge the following for their commitment to

this Web site:
Editors: Miranda Banks and Rachel Posner
Art Director: Greg Van Alstyne
Design and Production: OVEN Digital
http://www.moma.org/interactives/exhibitions/1997/castiglioni/credits.html [4/6/2012 12:20:26 PM]
Achille Castiglioni in his studio, under an "Arco" lamp, sitting

on "Sanluca" chair, next to a "Rochcetto" table.
[Return to Essay]
http://www.moma.org/interactives/exhibitions/1997/castiglioni/studio.html [4/6/2012 12:20:38 PM]
Achille, Pier Giacomo, and Livio Castiglioni working in their

studio (1952).
[Return to Essay]
http://www.moma.org/interactives/exhibitions/1997/castiglioni/brothers_f.html [4/6/2012 12:20:40 PM]
Left to right: Wood milking stool from Castiglioni's found

objects collection. Mezzadro seat. Sella stool. 1983 (1957).
Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni. Racing bicycle leather
saddle, lacquered steel stem, cast-iron base, 28 x 10" diam.
Manufactured by Zanotta.
[Return to Essay]
http://www.moma.org/interactives/exhibitions/1997/castiglioni/mezzadro_sella_f.html [4/6/2012 12:20:41 PM]
A selection from Achille Castiglioni's collection of found

objects.
[Return to Essay]
http://www.moma.org/interactives/exhibitions/1997/castiglioni/found_objects_f.html [4/6/2012 12:20:43 PM]
Ventosa lamp, 1962

Rubber, steel, 4 3/4 x 2 3/8 x 2 3/8"
"An experimental and adjustable spotlight", as Castiglioni
defines it, Ventosa is a small reflector supported by a suction
cup ("ventosa") that connects to any smooth surface,
including the reader's forehead-thus making the reader part
of the fixture.
http://www.moma.org/interactives/exhibitions/1997/castiglioni/ventosa.html [4/6/2012 12:20:44 PM]
AC01/03 oil and vinegar set, 1984

Stainless steel, glass, 10 1/4 x 6 5/8 x 6 5/8"
Castiglioni observed that the lid is usually the most
troublesome part of oil and vinegar cruets. Once it is taken
off, no one knows what to do with it. He thus left the lid
hinged to the bottle and provided it with two big metal ears
that work as counterweights. The ears keep the lid in a
horizontal position-open while the liquid is poured, closed
when the bottle returns to an upright position.
http://www.moma.org/interactives/exhibitions/1997/castiglioni/ac01.html [4/6/2012 12:20:45 PM]
Italian architect and designer Achille Castiglioni (b.1918),

to whom The Museum of Modern Art dedicates this first
individual retrospective in the United States, is an
internationally acknowledged master of design. During his
fifty-two-year career, he has designed and collaborated on
almost 150 objects, including
lamps, stools, bookshelves,
electrical switches, cameras,
telephones, vacuum
cleaners, and car seats.
Several of his works, such as
the Arco and the Brera
lamps, are featured in the
design collections of many
museums. They are also
familiar to many people who
use them in their homes,
Achille Castiglioni in his
even if Castiglioni's name
studio, under an "Arco"
may not be. This exhibition
lamp, sitting on "Sanluca"
presents a wide selection of
chair, next to a "Rochcetto"
table.
objects, as well as special
reconstructions of three
rooms chosen from his dozens of installations for art
exhibitions, trade fairs, and showrooms. His work, which
has had a powerful impact on the history of the applied
arts and has taught generations about good design,
provides an overview of the characteristics that make
design one of the highest expressions of twentieth-century
creativity.
Immediately after graduating from the Architectural School
of the Polytechnic of Milan in the late 1930s, Achille
Castiglioni's older brothers Livio and Pier Giacomo
opened an office on the mezzanine of a building facing the
Sforza Castle in Milan. As with many other Italian
architects at that time, the lack of major architectural
assignments led them to concentrate on smaller-scale
design projects. Alone or in collaboration with architect
Luigi Caccia Dominioni, they designed interiors, exhibition
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installations,
furniture, and
objects. Among
these were the 1938
Caccia cutlery set,
which is still in
production today and
remains ubiquitous
in Italian homes.
Their spectacular
Achille, Pier Giacomo, and Livio
five-valve radio
Castiglioni working in their studio
receiver from 1939,
(1952)
manufactured by
Phonola, was one of the first radios to move away from
the traditional heavy cupboard setup, and served as a
milestone of organic design in plastic, comparable to
Isamu Noguchi's Radio Nurse of 1937. Achille joined his
brothers as a licensed architect after the close of World
War II. In 1952, Livio left the office and set out on his own
to design lighting and sound installations. Until Pier
Giacomo's premature death in 1968, he and Achille
worked together on a multitude of designs, both
concentrating on the same task, rather than dividing up
the work. Many of their objects, like the Arco and
Parentesi lamps, are still in production. The clarity and wit
that characterizes their combined efforts is also evident in
Achille's solo production from 1968 to the present day.
Castiglioni's creative method seems so lucid and logical it
could be an example taken from a manual on the design
process, but only a designer with skill and experience can
achieve the leap from a sound, well-reasoned process to a
beautiful working object. Castiglioni nonetheless
acknowledges the standard principles of his practice:
"Start from scratch. Stick to common sense. Know your
goals and means." In other words, the designer must not
take for granted any previous similar object, must
understand the reason for creating a new product or
improving an existing one, and must be aware of the
available resources. For each object, the designer then
has to "try to find a Principal Design Component, and build
upon it." If this part of his process sounds almost
mathematical, the Principal Design Components, or
PDCs, of some of his objects are so quirky as to seem
absurd. Still, these PDCs always initiate a rigorously
thoughtful design process that is remarkable in its respect

for materials and production techniques and its concern
for the formal balance of the final product.
Castiglioni loves paradoxes and the new perception and
wisdom they can engender. One example is the Sella
(saddle), the pivoting stool designed with Pier Giacomo in
1957, which garnered the Castiglionis an incongruous
"Dadaist" label because of its use of an already existing,
everyday object in an unexpected context. The Sella is
made of a leather bicycle seat, a tubular metal stem, and
a rounded cast-iron base. Its inspiration induces smiles:
"When I use a pay phone," says the designer, "I like to
move around, but I also would like to sit, but not
completely." The Principal Design Component was in this
case a new behavior, a consequence of a more probing
understanding of an
object's combined form
and function, which is
often the focus of
Castiglioni's work. "I try to
suggest different
behaviors," he has
declared, expressing his
idea that the designer
must be the interpreter of
both real and virtual
needs, those that people
discover only after having them satisfied first. Virtual
needs, the means to a consumers' market, are here
demonstrated in their pre-cynical form. With the effortless
composition of the three Sella elements, the designers
both invented and fulfilled a need that arose from
perceptive imagination; at the same time, they designed a
new but thoroughly convincing behavior-a hybrid between
sitting and pacing nervously.
The Sella parable is instructive, but it is not necessarily
representative of the whole of Castiglioni's production. His
ideas are often inspired by everyday things, and the
statement "Design demands observation" has become
one of his many mottos. A street lamp was the
springboard for the brothers' famous Arco lamp (1962), in
which the light source is projected almost eight feet away
from the marble base as if it were coming from the ceiling,
while their Toio lamp (1962) was based on a car's front

reflector. The idea for an object sometimes comes to
Castiglioni while he is working on an entirely separate
assignment, such as an exhibition design. Ideas can also
derive from technological advances, like the introduction
of the thin fluorescent tube which suggested the Tubino
lamp (1951).
Drawing on the classifications made by Paolo Ferrari in
his 1984 book Achille Castiglioni, Castiglioni himself
divides his work into various groupings. The Sella belongs
to the category of Ready-made Objects, as do the
Mezzadro (1957)a stool composed of a mass-produced
tractor seat, a bent steel bar, a wood bar, and a wing
screw-and the above-mentioned Toio lamp-made from a
car reflector, a transformer that also works as heavy base,
a formed metal handle, a hexagonal stem, three fishing
rod rings, and a single screw. His Ready-made Objects
evolve like living things: the components of the Mezzadro
stool have been updated as the manufacture of tractor
seats has changed without damaging the purity of the
object. Castiglioni refers to another grouping as
Redesigned Objects, meaning traditional objects that he
has perfected or updated according to current needs and
technological developments. These include his personal
takes on small outdoor caf tables (Cumano, 1979),
ashtrays (Spirale, 1971), glass globe ceiling lamps (Brera,
1992), and bedside tables (Comodo, 1989). The
Minimalist group contains such subtle icons as the
Luminator floor lamp of 1955, which is simply a bulb in a
tube on a tripod-the tube just big enough to accommodate
the socket and to contain the three thin legs during
transportation-as well as the Fucsia hanging lamp of 1996,
simply an upside-down glass cone with its edges sanded
to protect the eyes from the bulb's glare. The Snoopy table
lamp of 1967, so named after its prominent beagle-like
nose, and the anthropomorphic RR126 stereo system of
1966, endowed with eyes, movable ears, and a mouth,
are two of his so-called Expressionistic Objects, while the
sleek curvilinear shells of appliances like the 1956 Spalter
vacuum cleaner and the 1968 VLM light switch are among
his Integral Projects.
Although such classification is useful up to a point, what is
most important is the fact that behind each of these varied
and unique objects lies a story. The perceived need that

inspired the object can be equated to the conflict central to
any narrative, and the design itself then acts as the
resolution, the happy ending. The illustrated vignettes by
Steven Guarnaccia that appear throughout the exhibition
communicate the solution to the project in a few knowing
lines, eloquently conveying the genesis of the idea in a
concrete situation. These drawings illustrate Castiglioni's
design process, already inherent in the objects
themselves.
Castiglioni's design approach can best be understood
within the context of the cultural climate of which he was a
product, and which he in turn helped to shape. Like other
Italian designers and architects such as Marco Zanuso
and Ettore Sottsass, he benefited from a fortuitous
combination of trends that has made Italian design a
worldwide force. In part because Italian culture has always
been founded on a tradition of the fine arts and of skillful
craftsmanship, and in part because the disruption of World
War II had created a need for newly designed and
produced objects to restore the country's quality of life,
Italy was poised for a design renaissance in the 1950s.
The seemingly disparate sectors of culture, technology,
and the economy enjoyed harmonious cooperation toward
the common goal of rejuvenation. In the absence of
architectural projects, architects focused on designing
smaller objects. Talented architects still looking for
commissions met ambitious manufacturers eager to bring
their pre-existing companies up to date or to boost their
new enterprises. The relatively small size of their familybased companies and their attention to detail and
craftsmanship caused them to take risks and embrace
innovative design. These manufacturers put at the
designers' disposal all their technical skill and resources,
along with their knowledge of the technological
breakthroughs occurring in the postwar period. The longlasting relationships between designers and
manufacturers that were established during that time-like
those between Zanuso and Brionvega (television
manufacturer), between Sottsass and Olivetti (typewriter
and computer manufacturer), or between the Castiglionis
and Flos, the lighting fixtures company that still produces
their lamps-were based on shared creative vision and
understanding. In addition, both these groups benefited
from the presence of ingenious engineers and technicians,

as well as from world-renowned architecture and design
publications like Domus, which facilitated the international
exchange of ideas. Concurrently, Italy's economic boom of
the 1950s and 1960s allowed the production and
consumption of this new design to become a reality.
For many years, Castiglioni
disseminated his design
philosophy through his work as
an educator. His peculiar
teaching style seamlessly
merged an almost
anthropological approach to
design with the advanced study
of manufacturing processes and
material technology. Until he
retired from teaching almost ten
years ago, he offered the most
entertaining and popular
A selection from Achille
Industrial Design course in the
Castiglioni's collection
chaotic and overcrowded
of found objects.
Architectural School of the
Polytechnic of Milan. During the 1980s, when I was his
student and the head count was 13,000, he typically came
to class with a large Mary Poppins-like black bag, from
which he would extract and line up on the table that day's
chosen pieces from his stupendous collection of found
objects: toys made from beer cans that he had bought in
Teheran; odd eyeglasses and eye protection screens;
galoshes from the USSR; wooden stools from Aspen,
Colorado; colanders; small suction cups strong enough to
lift a table. These were the most effective tools of design
instruction.
Castiglioni demonstrated to his throngs of students the
vernacular ingeniousness of seemingly unremarkable
objects. One such example was a milking stool, consisting
of a round piece of wood as a seat with a round incision
into which fit the single wooden leg. Both parts were held
together by a strip of leather, so that the stool could be
carried over the shoulder. Standing on a table, Castiglioni
mimed its use by milking an invisible cow, thus
highlighting the pure relationship between form and
function. He chose to show objects that clearly had a life
of their own, derived from material culture and

independent of any designer's name. By emphasizing that
the success of these objects resulted from their fulfilling a
functional task with wit and common sense and within the
available resources, he initiated his students' discovery of
the design process for themselves.
Castiglioni has often said, "What you need is a constant
and consistent way of designing, not a style." His own way
has been to focus on understanding objects, basing his
designs on a narrative approach in which observed or
imagined need results in a satisfying design solution.
Castiglioni has shown that while form and function are the
main ingredients for successful design, they cannot be the
designer's only concerns. His flexibility has allowed him to
design a vast array of stylistically varied objects. Today, at
age seventy-nine, he is still as energetic and driven as
ever and is still working on many assignments at a time,
applying his philosophy and methodology with wit,
curiosity, and a combination of exuberance and
understatement. Over the course of his long career,
Castiglioni has, with his purist yet playful and individual
objects, helped to update modernist design to
Paola Antonelli
Associate Curator
7000 trays, 1983

Stainless steel, plastic, 19 5/8 x 11 13/16 x 2"
Some of these straightforward trays have interchangeable
plastic handles in bright colors.
http://www.moma.org/interactives/exhibitions/1997/castiglioni/7000trays.html [4/6/2012 12:20:49 PM]
Allunaggio garden seat, 1980 (1966)

Stove-enameled steel, aluminum seat, nylon feet,
16 1/2 x 31 1/2 x 39 5/16"
Available from the MoMA Design Store
Translated as "moonlanding" in English, Allunaggio is an
outdoor seat specifically designed for grass expanses. It is
configured to minimize the shade projected onto the lawn.
http://www.moma.org/interactives/exhibitions/1997/castiglioni/allunaggio.html [4/6/2012 12:20:51 PM]
Aoy lamp, 1975

Translucent and opaline glass, 23 5/8 x 11 13/16 x 11 13/16"
To use up the light that ordinary floor lamps usually waste on
their stem, Castiglioni designed a translucent support, a
glass cylinder a foot wide with an opening at the bottom for a
cat to curl up where it's warm, and to allow for cleaning of the
floor inside. All parts are made of hand-blown glass and are
made to match, without any metal connections.
http://www.moma.org/interactives/exhibitions/1997/castiglioni/aoy.html [4/6/2012 12:20:52 PM]

steel reflector, 95 x 78 5/8 x 11 1/2"
The Museum of Modern Art
A street lamp was the springboard for Arco, a ceiling lamp
that does not require holes in the ceiling. The light source is
projected eight feet away from the base, leaving enough
room to serve dinner and sit at the table. The lamp can be
moved by two people by inserting a broomstick through the
hole in the marble base.
http://www.moma.org/interactives/exhibitions/1997/castiglioni/arco.html [4/6/2012 12:20:54 PM]
Bibip floor lamp, 1977

Ceramic, steel, aluminum, 85 x 9 13/16 x 9 13/16"
Inspired by the speedy roadrunner who eternally mocks the
coyote in the classic American cartoon, Bibip is a floor lamp
that is almost not there. Its slim stem supports an elegant
head in ceramic, the most traditional insulating material for
electrical appliances, which hosts the bulb. A steel screen
can be rotated around the bulb by means of a round handle
to direct the light toward the ceiling or toward the floor.
http://www.moma.org/interactives/exhibitions/1997/castiglioni/bibip.html [4/6/2012 12:20:55 PM]

A soft white glass cloud hides three bulbs which, together
with the silver-domed bulb visible at the center, allow for
three different kinds of lighting: downward when only the
central bulb is lit, diffused when only the three bulbs within
are lit, and a combination of the two.
http://www.moma.org/interactives/exhibitions/1997/castiglioni/blackwhite.html [4/6/2012 12:20:56 PM]

11 13/16 x 6 x 6"
Inspired by the ostrich egg, the symbol of the virginal birth in
Piero della Francesca's painting The Madonna and Child
with Federico da Montefeltro (c. 1475), conserved in the
Pinacoteca di Brera in Milan, the egg-shaped diffuser is split
in two parts held together by a ring nut to assure easy
access to the bulb and to provide cooling.
http://www.moma.org/interactives/exhibitions/1997/castiglioni/brera.html [4/6/2012 12:20:58 PM]

Steel, nylon, 21 5/8 x 44 1/2 x 2 3/4"
Lent by M2L Collection
Cumano is one of Castiglioni's most exemplary redesigns, in
which he chooses an object that has already existed for
decades, sometimes even centuries, and adapts it to current
technologies and conditions. The designer upgraded the
classic small outdoor coffee table and made it foldable by
means of an ingenious injection-molded joint. He also
punched a hole through the top, so that the closed table can
be stored more easily, or hung like a decoration.
http://www.moma.org/interactives/exhibitions/1997/castiglioni/cumano.html [4/6/2012 12:20:59 PM]
Dry cutlery, 1982

The set is called "dry" because of its straightforward shape
and obvious manufacturing process: each piece in the set
begins as a steel bar, part of which is left as a comfortable
handle after the blade or spoon or teeth are formed.
http://www.moma.org/interactives/exhibitions/1997/castiglioni/dry.html [4/6/2012 12:21:01 PM]

ABS plastic, 14 1/4 x 14 1/4"
Named after the city where the prototype was presented in
1965, Firenze is the redesign of a classical wall clock,
stripped down to its basic face. Once again, one has to look
for the hidden expressionistic twist: the Roman numeral IV is
misspelled "IIII."
http://www.moma.org/interactives/exhibitions/1997/castiglioni/firenze.html [4/6/2012 12:21:02 PM]

Steel, metacrylate, 31 1/2 x 22 13/16 x 22 13/16"
In traditional hanging lamps, the glass or metal hemisphere
that acts as a reflector and hides the bulb, and a layer of
translucent material placed at the bottom to diffuse the light
are all contained in one compact shape. In Frisbi, a small
chromed dome reflects the cone of light onto a diffuser disc
that looks suspended in mid-air, and beams it through the
hole at its center.
http://www.moma.org/interactives/exhibitions/1997/castiglioni/frisbi.html [4/6/2012 12:21:04 PM]
Fucsia hanging lamp, 1996

Glass, silicone, steel, 13 5/8 x 6 5/16 x 6 5/16"
Lent by Flos USA
The light source is contained within a reversed glass cone,
sanded at the bottom to avoid glare, whose edge is protected
by a silicone ring. The unit can be used alone or arranged in
compositions of three, eight, or twelve pieces. Fucsia is
named after the similarly shaped flower.
http://www.moma.org/interactives/exhibitions/1997/castiglioni/fucsia.html [4/6/2012 12:21:05 PM]
Gibigiana lamp, 1980

Aluminum, plastic, mirror, 20 1/2 x 5 1/4 x 4"
This lamp, whose name signifies the game of redirecting sun
beams with a mirror, was sparked by a common domestic
problem: some people like to read in bed until late at night,
while their partners are eager to fall asleep in darkness. The
strong halogen bulb, housed at the bottom of the base, casts
its light on an adjustable mirror, whose angle can be set to
further redirect the beam exactly where it is needed.
http://www.moma.org/interactives/exhibitions/1997/castiglioni/gibigiana.html [4/6/2012 12:21:06 PM]

Steel, 6 5/16 x 11 x 11"
Lent by Flos USA
This lamp, dedicated to Castiglioni's daughters Giovanna, is
surrounded by a crown of beams as if it was the sun. The
special effect is produced by a cage of metal that surrounds
the light bulb.
http://www.moma.org/interactives/exhibitions/1997/castiglioni/giovi.html [4/6/2012 12:21:08 PM]
Imperiale chaise longue, 1983

Steel, wood, and fabric, 47 5/16 x 25 5/8 x 31 13/16"
The structure of the armrests is the basis for this articulated
chaise longue. The rest of the structure can take on many
configurations, from an erect position to a reclining one, as
directed by the weight of the human body.
http://www.moma.org/interactives/exhibitions/1997/castiglioni/imperiale.html [4/6/2012 12:21:09 PM]
Irma chair, 1979

So named in homage to Castiglioni's wife, the Irma's steel
structure supports the leather seat and back. The back, in
particular, is reduced to the strip that supports the spine and
shaped to follow its natural curves.
http://www.moma.org/interactives/exhibitions/1997/castiglioni/irma.html [4/6/2012 12:21:10 PM]
Joy shelves, 1990

Wood, steel, 75 1/4 x 11 13/16 x 37 13/16"
Joy is inspired by its smaller sibling Basello. The seven
shelves are gathered in a convertible structure that can rest
flat against a wall or triumphantly occupy the center of a
room.
http://www.moma.org/interactives/exhibitions/1997/castiglioni/joy.html [4/6/2012 12:21:11 PM]

Aluminum reel, socket, bulb, 9 1/2 x 5 1/4 x 5 1/4"
This ready-made fixture is composed of a large light bulb
with a "skullcap" sanded on one side to control glare, a
socket with a switch, and a base made of an aluminum
recording spool, convenient for rolling up the excess wire or
hanging the lamp on the wall.
http://www.moma.org/interactives/exhibitions/1997/castiglioni/lampadina.html [4/6/2012 12:21:13 PM]

Steel, 51 1/4 x 6 x 6"
Manufactured by Gilardi & Barzaghi, Artform,
and Flos
Lent by Flos
As simple as a child's drawing, Luminator's main body is a
tube just wide enough to accommodate the bulb socket. It
rests on a tripod made of three sticks that can be easily
stored and carried. The electric wire comes out from the
bottom like a tail. This kind of indirect photographer's lighting
was first suggested for domestic use by Pietro Chiesa with
his Luminator (1933); in tribute, the Castiglionis also used
that name.
http://www.moma.org/interactives/exhibitions/1997/castiglioni/luminator.html [4/6/2012 12:21:14 PM]

19 5/8 x 17 5/16 x 15"
In this new composition of existing objects, the seat and the
crossbar from a tractor designed in the first years of the
century and still in production become a seat to be used at
home. The fixing screw is the kind familiarly used in bicycles,
while a wooden crossbar gives the seat its stability.
http://www.moma.org/interactives/exhibitions/1997/castiglioni/mezzadro.html [4/6/2012 12:21:15 PM]

Steel, glass, 7 13/16 x 14 1/2 x 10 5/8"
"Natural light comes from the sky. Since electric light is
artificial, it should come from the floor." Castiglioni therefore
designed a luminous stone, a lamp that can be kicked
around and even kept outdoors. Noce, meaning "walnut," is
made of a two-part shell, in cast metal and safety glass,
which contains two swiveling bulbs.
http://www.moma.org/interactives/exhibitions/1997/castiglioni/noce.html [4/6/2012 12:21:17 PM]
Parentesi lamp, 1971 (1970)

An adjustable spotlight moves up and down a cable that
hangs from a hook in the ceiling and is kept in tension by a
cast-iron counterweight which barely touches the floor. The
core of this minimal fixture is the parenthesis that gives it its
name, the shaped tubular support that holds the light source
in place by mechanical friction with the tense cable.
http://www.moma.org/interactives/exhibitions/1997/castiglioni/parentesi.html [4/6/2012 12:21:18 PM]
Polet chaise longue, 1992

69 5/8 x 27 1/2 x 33 1/2"
Lent by Flou
Po-let, poltrona-letto, armchair-bed. Polet is an armchair with
a very high back which can be positioned horizontally to
transform the seat into a bed.
http://www.moma.org/interactives/exhibitions/1997/castiglioni/polet.html [4/6/2012 12:21:19 PM]
Primate seat, 1970

Baydur, polystyrene, polyurethane, stainless steel, 18 1/4 x
31 1/2 x 18 1/4"
The Museum of Modern Art
Primate is a playful and useful seating compromise for
Western travelers. It enables respectful guests at Japanese
formal dinners to sit with their hosts in the appropriate
position, which would otherwise be very painful for
unpracticed knees.
http://www.moma.org/interactives/exhibitions/1997/castiglioni/primate.html [4/6/2012 12:21:21 PM]

Record gets its name from its resemblance to an LP. The
designers made the face as wide, the case as unobtrusive,
and the numbers as readable as possible.
http://www.moma.org/interactives/exhibitions/1997/castiglioni/record.html [4/6/2012 12:21:22 PM]

36 1/4 x 13 13/16 x 23 5/8"
The components of a stereo system are arranged to design a
"musical pet" with loudspeaker ears, a witty face, and the
capacity to move around on its casters.
http://www.moma.org/interactives/exhibitions/1997/castiglioni/rr126.html [4/6/2012 12:21:24 PM]

Leather, polyutherane foam, rosewood,
39 3/8 x 33 1/2 x 31 1/2
Studied to fit all the parts of the body comfortably and
beautifully, the Sanluca armchair is made of separate piecesseat, back, head rest, and armrests-cast and built with
various levels of padding.
http://www.moma.org/interactives/exhibitions/1997/castiglioni/sanluca.html [4/6/2012 12:21:25 PM]

Leather, pink lacquered steel, and cast iron, 28 x 13"
Lent by M2L
Sella (saddle) is the pivoting stool that garnered the
Castiglionis an incongruous "Dadaist" label. With this seat,
the brothers designed a new behavior, a hybrid between
sitting and pacing nervously, because, says Achille, "When I
use a pay phone, I like to move around, but I also would like
to sit, but not completely."
http://www.moma.org/interactives/exhibitions/1997/castiglioni/sella.html [4/6/2012 12:21:26 PM]

Steel, plastic, various dimensions
The English term "dumbwaiter" translates into the Italian
"servo muto." The first two elements of the Servi family were
designed by both Castiglioni brothers in 1961: an ashtray
and an umbrella stand for the opening of a beerhouse also
designed by Castiglioni. The sleek family of "waiters"
expanded over time to cover disparate functions.
http://www.moma.org/interactives/exhibitions/1997/castiglioni/servi.html [4/6/2012 12:21:28 PM]

Originally conceived as a promotional object for Kraft
mayonnaise, the spoon features at its tip the precise
curvature of common jars and is cut straight on one side to
better adhere to the walls of the jar, so that every last bit of
mayo can be scooped out.
http://www.moma.org/interactives/exhibitions/1997/castiglioni/sleek.html [4/6/2012 12:21:29 PM]

A clever redesign of an existing ashtray, Spirale is a steel
bowl fitted with a steel spring that serves as a cigarette
holder and which can be removed to easily clean the bowl.
http://www.moma.org/interactives/exhibitions/1997/castiglioni/spirale.html [4/6/2012 12:21:30 PM]

Aluminum, 9 13/16 x 15 3/4 x 15 3/4"
Created for the beerhouse that the Castiglioni's designed
and named after it, Splgen Bru is a scenographic redesign
of a hanging lamp with the gleaming surface of thermoses
and cocktail shakers. The design is not just about looks
though as the ribbed outside surface also facilitates heat
dispersion.
http://www.moma.org/interactives/exhibitions/1997/castiglioni/splugen_brau.html [4/6/2012 12:21:32 PM]

Taccia is the upside-down version of a hanging lamp. The
convex surface of a white aluminum dome is positioned on
top of a deep, translucent glass bowl and becomes the
reflecting screen of the table lamp. To control its glare, the
incandescent bulb is hidden inside the metal base,
corrugated to better disperse the bulb's heat. The glass bowl
can rotate to adjust the light's direction.
http://www.moma.org/interactives/exhibitions/1997/castiglioni/taccia.html [4/6/2012 12:21:33 PM]

Almost thirty years after his first Taraxacum or "dandelion,"
Castiglioni designed an updated high-tech version of his
previous chandelier and gave it the same name. Taraxacum
'88 is composed of twenty die-cast aluminum triangles, each
accommodating three, six, or ten bulbs. It is produced in
three sizes, with a total of sixty, one hundred and twenty, or
two hundred bulbs.
http://www.moma.org/interactives/exhibitions/1997/castiglioni/taraxacum_88.html [4/6/2012 12:21:34 PM]
Teli hanging lamp, 1973 (1959)

Raflon cloth, anodized aluminum, brass,
23 5/8 x 15 x 15 3/4"
Lent by Flos
Teli means "sheets of cloth." The idea for the lamp came to
the brothers while observing the synthetic fabric used for
bagging rice. Raflon is a heavy and tough fiber. They used
two rectangular sheets, a square anodized aluminum board,
and two brass sticks to give tension to the cloth. All the
elements are easily assembled and disassembled for
packing and shipping. The light source, a standard
incandescent bulb, is essentially dressed up in veils.
http://www.moma.org/interactives/exhibitions/1997/castiglioni/teli.html [4/6/2012 12:21:36 PM]

A 300-watt car reflector imported from the US is both the
light source and the inspiration for Toio. The transformer for
the bulb is located at the foot of the steel-plate pedestal and
works as a heavy base for the fixture. The hexagonal stem,
"as light as a fishing rod," is kept at the desired height by a
screw. The electric wire is guided along the stem by three
fishing rod rings. Toio is another example of the Castiglionis'
Ready-made Objects.
http://www.moma.org/interactives/exhibitions/1997/castiglioni/toio.html [4/6/2012 12:21:38 PM]

Aluminum, enameled steel, 13 3/8 x 27 1/2 x 9 1/2"
In 1949, GE's 6-watt fluorescent tube was first imported in
Italy, challenging the Castiglionis to think about a formal
continuity between the lamp and its conducting wire. They
lined up the bulb, the switch, the reactor, and the starter on
their way to the plug, and fitted the lamp with an aluminum
shield to protect from glare and reflect the light.
http://www.moma.org/interactives/exhibitions/1997/castiglioni/tubino.html [4/6/2012 12:21:39 PM]

Steel plate, opaline glass, 7 13/16 x 17 3/4 x 17 3/4"
The incandescent bulb at the center of the fixture is
completed by a fluorescent circular tube which is hidden
within the opaline glass. The lamp thus gives a mixture of
warm and cool light, both reflected and diffused.
http://www.moma.org/interactives/exhibitions/1997/castiglioni/velella.html [4/6/2012 12:21:40 PM]
5C handles, 1983
Stainless steel or brass, 5 1/4 x 5
1/4 x 2 5/16"
Manufactured and lent by Fusital
7000 trays, 1983
Stainless steel, plastic 19 5/8 x
11 13/16 x 2"
AC01/03 oil and vinegar set,
1984
Stainless steel, glass,10 1/4 x 6
5/8 x 6 5/8"
AC04 fruitbowl, 1996 (1995)
Stainless steel and aluminum, 8
x 9 13/16"
Ala dust collector, 1996
Stainless steel, 5/16 x 6 x 1 1/2"
Allunaggio garden seats, 1980
(1966)
Achille and Pier Giacomo
Castiglioni
Stove-enamelled steel,
aluminum seat, nylon feet,
16 1/2 x 31 1/2 x 39 5/16"
Amici napkin holders,1996
Stainless steel or epoxy painted
steel, 2 x 2 x 2"
Aoy floor lamp,1975
Translucent and opaline glass,
23 5/8 x 11 13/16 x 11 13/16"
Objects in the Photomontage

Head: "Brera" lamp, 1992;
Hair: "Joy" shelves, 1990;
Ears: VLM switches, 1968;
Eyebrows: "Sciuko" lamp (not
in exhibition), 1966; Eyes:
"Record" wristwatch, 1989,
and "Toio" lamp, 1962; Nose:
"Fucsia" lamp, 1996; Mouth:
"Spirale" ashtray, 1970; Chin:
"Linda" bathroom sink (not in
exhibition), 1965; Shoulders:
"Velella" lamps, 1967; Chest:
"Firenze" wall clocks, 1965;
Tie: "Imperiale" (1983) and
"Polet" (1992) Chaise
Lounges; Belly: "Taraxacum
88" Hanging Lamp, 1988;
Pelvis: "Mezzadro" seat, 1957;
ARMS: Right: "7000" Trays,
large, medium, small, 1983;
"Primate" seat, 1970; "Sleek"
mayonnaise spoons, 1962;
Left: "Tubino" Lamps, 1951;
Lancia automobile seat (not in
exhibition), 1973; "Record"
wristwatch, 1989; "Velella"
Lamp, 1967; "Mezzadro"
Seats, 1957; LEGS: Right:
Spalter vacuum cleaners,
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1956; Left: "Gibigiana" Lamps,

1980; Feet: "Noce" floor lamps,
1972

Achille and Pier Giacomo
Castiglioni
and steel reflector, 95 x 78 5/8 x 11 1/2"
Basello low table, 1987
Wood, steel, 17 x 25 1/2 x 12"
Lent by M2L
Beer glasses, 1964
Glass, (small) 5 x 3 1/4 x 3 1/4",
(big) 6 x 3 1/4 x 3 1/4"
Bibip floor lamps, 1977
Ceramic, steel, aluminum,
85 x 9 13/16 x 9 13/16"
Borsalino hat, 1980, prototype
Rabbit hair felt shaped on pudding form,
4 3/4 x 11 13/16 x 11 13/16"
Manufactured by Borsalino
11 13/16 x 6 x 6"
Broadcasting Receiver, 1968 (1967)
Plastic, metal, 3 1/2 x 13 13/16 x 7 13/16"
Cacciavite table, 1981 (1966)
Wood, 13 13/16 x 20 1/2 x 25 1/2"
Manufactured by Bernini and Zanotta
Lent by M2L
Camilla bench, 1984
Wood, steel, 39 13/16 x 38 1/4 x 24 3/8"
Lent by M2L
Children's camera, 1958, prototype
Plaster, plastic, 6 x 4 3/4 x 6"
Comodo bedside table, 1989
Wood, steel, 31 x 12 x 16"
Manufactured by Interflex and Longoni
Lent by Longoni
Steel, nylon, 21 5/8 x 44 1/2 x 2 3/4"
Lent by M2L
Dry cutlery, 1982
Electrical switch, 1968
Plastic, 1 x 2 x 1"
Manufactured by VLM
ABS plastic, 14 1/4 x 14 1/4"
Steel, metacrylate,
31 1/2 x 22 13/16 x 22 13/16"

Fucsia hanging lamps, 1996
Glass, silicon, steel,
13 5/8 x 6 5/16 x 6 5/16"
Lent by Flos USA
Gibigiana table lamps, 1980
Aluminum, plastic, mirror,
20 1/2 x 5 1/4 x 4"
Ginevra folding armchair, 1979
Wood, 36 x 17 1/2 x 16"
Manufactured and lent by
BBB emmebonacina
Steel, 6 5/16 x 11 x 11"
Lent by Flos USA
Lent by Alessi
Hilly sofa and seats, 1992
Polyurethane, fabric, wood, steel, various sizes
Manufactured and lent by Cassina
Imperiale chaise lounge, 1983
Steel, wood, and fabric,
47 5/16 x 25 5/8 x 31 13/16"
Lent by M2L
Ipotenusa table lamp, 1976 (1975)
Stainless steel, acrylic, 27 1/2 x 27 1/2 x 7"
Irma chair, 1979
Lent by M2L
Joy shelves, 1990
Wood and steel, 75 1/4 x 11 13/16 x 37 13/16"

Aluminum reel, socket, bulb,
9 1/2 x 5 1/4 x 5 1/4"
Leonardo table, 1969 (1950)
Wood, steel, 27 1/2 x 39 3/8 x 78 13/16"
Lent by M2L
Steel, 51 1/4 x 6 x 6"
Manufactured Gilardi & Barzaghi, Artform,
and Flos
Lent by Flos
Lungangolo bookshelves, 1991
Wood, 90 x 14 x 14"
Mate tray with stand, 1992
Wood, 16 1/2 x 23 5/16 x 19 1/2"
Manufactured by De Padova
Lent by Luminaire
Mayonnaise jar and spoon, 1962, prototype
Glass and plaster, 8"
Merlino bookstand, 1988
Wood, 45 1/2 x 31 1/2 x 23 1/2"
19 5/8 x 17 5/16 x 15"
Lent by M2L
Milk glass, 1996
Glass, 6 5/8 x 2 3/4 x 2 3/4"
Manufactured by Ritzenhoff Cristall
Lent by Sieger
Moni ceiling lamp, 1982
Steel, 6 x 19 5/8 x 19 5/8"
Lent by Flos USA
Steel, glass, 7 13/16 x 14 1/2 x 10 5/8"
Ondula fruitbowl, 1996
Stainless or painted steel,
4 x 11 13/16 x 11 13/16"
Water: 3 1/2 x 2 3/4 x 2 3/4"
Wine: 6 5/16 x 3 1/4 x 3 1/4"
Lent by Alessi
Ovio glasses, 1983
various dimensions
Lent by Alias
Parentesi hanging lamp, 1971 (1970)
Paro goblets, 1995 (1983)
Crystal, 7 13/16 x 4 x 4"
Lent by Alias
Phil oil and vinegar set
with parmesan cheese pot, 1982
Glass, stainless steel, various dimensions
Polet chaise lounge, 1992
69 5/8 x 27 1/2 x 33 1/2"
Lent by Flou
Primate seat, 1970
stainless steel,
18 1/4 x 31 1/2 x 18 1/4"
Quark table, 1982
Wood, 28 1/2 x 53 1/2 x 23"
Relemme hanging lamp, 1962
Rubber, porcelain, steel, 7 13/16 x 15 x 15"
Riplisse ceiling lamp, 1988 (1985)
Blow-molded, 13/16 x 18 1/4 x 18 1/4"
Rocchetto table, 1967
Polyester, 23 5/8 x 23 5/8 x 19 5/8"
Manufactured and lent by Kartell
Rocket slide projector, 1960
Plastic, aluminum, 7 x 7 13/16 x 11 13/16"
36 1/4 x 13 13/16 x 23 5/8"
Leather, polyutherane foam, rosewood, leather,
39 3/8 x 33 1/2 x 31 1/2"

Leather, pink laquered steel, cast iron, 28 x 13"
Lent by M2L
Steel, plastic, and other materials, various dimensions
Lent by M2L
Snoopy lamp, 1967
Glass, marble, steel, 15 3/4 x 15 3/4 x 15 3/4"
Spalter vacuum cleaner, 1956
Aluminum, nylon, leather,
7 13/16 x 19 5/8 x 7 13/16"
Manufactured by Rem
Aluminum, 9 13/16 x 15 3/4 x 15 3/4"
Stylos floor lamp, 1985 (1984)
Polymethylmetacrylate, steel,
78 3/4 x 13 13/16 x 13 13/16"
Taraxacum and Viscontea hanging lamps, 1960

Gatto floor lamps, 1962
Plastic polymer, steel frame,
23 5/8 x 13 3/4 x 13 3/4"
Taraxacum and Gatto are lent by Flos
Viscontea is part of the collection
of The Museum of Modern Art
Teli hanging lamps, 1973 (1959)
Raflon. cloth, anodized aluminum, brass,
23 5/8 x 15 x 15 3/4"
Lent by Flos
Trac table,1976
Wood, 29 x 31 x 31"
Translator's earphones, 1967
Thermoplastic material,
3 1/4 x 7 13/16 x 7 13/16"
Manufactured by Phoebus Alter
Wood, 41 x 17 3/4 x 4"
Lent by Campeggi
Trio shelves,1991
Wood, 48 x 16 x 16"
Manufactured and lent by Longoni

Aluminum, enameled steel,
13 3/8 x 27 1/2 x 9 1/2"
Steel plate, opaline glass,
7 13/16 x 17 3/4 x 17 3/4"
Ventosa lamp, 1962
Rubber, steel, 4 3/4 x 2 3/8 x 2 3/8"
ENVIRONMENTS
Colori e Forme Nella Casa d'Oggi,
(Colors and Shapes in Today's Home)
Exhibition at Villa Olmo, Como, 1957
Cubo armchair, 1957
Foam, rubber, steel, 28 5/16 x 31 1/2 x 31 1/2"
Manufactured by Arflex
Libreria Appesa hanging bookshelves,
1966 (1957)
Steel, wood, 43 5/16 x 11 13/16 x 4"
Steel, 51 1/4 x 6 x 6"
Manufactured Gilardi & Barzaghi, Artform, and Flos
Mezzadro seat, 1957, prototype
Chromed steel, enameled metal, wood,
19 5/8 x 17 5/16 x 15"

Leather, pink lacquered steel, and
cast iron, 28 x 13"
La Casa Abitata, Firenze, 1965
Beer glasses and tray, 1964
Glass and aluminum, various dimensions
Lent by Alessi
Milano table, 1964
Wood, 29 1/2 x 34 1/4 x 79 1/4"
Manufactured by Gavina
Lent by Campeggi
Water: 3 1/2 x 2 3/4 x 2 3/4"
Wine: 6 5/16 x 3 1/4 x 3 1/4"
Lent by Alessi
Rampa dresser, 1965
Wood, 51 1/2 x 40 1/4 x 35 3/8"
Lent by Bernini
Wood, 41 x 17 3/4 x 4"

Manufactured and lent by Bernini
Ventosa lamp, 1962
Rubber, steel, 4 3/4 x 2 3/8 x 2 3/8"
Wall Clock, 1965, prototype
Metal, 3 1/4 x 15 x 15"
Tokyo
Albero vase racks, 1983
Lacquered steel, 61 3/8 x 22 13/16 x 22 13/16"
Steel, nylon, 21 5/8 x 44 1/2 x 2 3/4"
Dry cutlery, 1982
Noce floor lamps, 1972
Steel, glass, 7 13/16 x 14 1/2 x 10 5/8"
Ovio glasses, 1983
various dimensions
Lent by Alias
Phil salt shakers, 1982
Glass, stainless steel, 3 1/2 x 1 1/2"
Primate seats, 1970
stainless steel
18 1/4 x 31 1/2 x 18 1/4"

1918
Born February 16 in Milan, Italy.
1944
Graduated March 15 in Architecture from the Polytechnic of Milan.
1944-present
Freelance architect and designer with a studio in Piazza Castello.
1947
Begins collaboration with his brothers Pier Giacomo and Livio.
1947-present
Present at the Triennale in Milan as a member of the organizing
committee, or as the exhibition's designer, or by displaying his works.
1952
End of part-time collaboration with his brother Livio.
1955
1956
Among the founders of the A.D.I. (Association of Industrial Design).
1960, 1962, 1964, 1967
1968
End of continuous collaboration with his brother Pier Giacomo
because of the latter's death.
1969
Awarded full professorship in "Artistic Industrial Design" by the
Ministry of Public Education.
1970-1977
Professor of "Artistic Industrial Design" in the Department of
Architecture of the Polytechnic of Turin.
1977
Wins the competition at the Ministry of Public Education for
"Architectural Design."
1977-1980
http://www.moma.org/interactives/exhibitions/1997/castiglioni/biography_f.html (1 of 3) [4/6/2012 12:21:44 PM]
Visiting lecturer at the Department of Architecture at the Polytechnic

of Turin, and holds the professorship of "Interior Architecture and
Design".
1979
1981-1986
Full professor at the Department of Architecture at the Polytechnic of
Milan. Teaches "Interior Architecture and Design."
1984
1984-1985
Organizes and designs the exhibition Achille Castiglioni Designer at
the Oesterreichisches Museum fr Angewandte Kunst (March), the
Akademie der Kunst, Berlin (June), the Triennale di Milano
(November) and the Kunstgewerbe-Museum, Zurich (February 1985).
1985-present
A member of the Advisory Committee of the Art Center College of
Design in Pasadena, California and Montreux, Switzerland.
1986
Full professorship at the Department of Architecture of the
Polytechnic of Milan, teaching "Industrial Design," and an honorary
member of the Faculty of Royal Designers for Industry of the Royal
Society of Art in London.
Receives the golden medal for "Civic Good Services" from the
Municipal Authority of Milan.
Receives the "Five Stars" award of the ADI together with Techotel.
1987
Receives the Degree Honoris Causa from the Royal College of Art in
London.
Receives the First Class Diploma in School, Culture and Art from the
Ministry of Public Education, Italy.
1989
1993
Receives the annual award from The Chartered Society of Designers
in London and the "Barcelona Design" award of the Department of
Culture of Catalunya.
1995
Receives the "Art sur table" award from the Ministre de l'Industrie,
Paris.
1996
Receives the Frankfurt "Design Plus Award".
About ten of Castiglioni's works are in the collection of The Museum
of Modern Art in New York and others are in the collection of the
Victoria & Albert Museum, London; the Kunstgewerbe-Museum,
Zurich; the Staatliches Museum fr Kunst, Munich; the
Uneleckoprumyslove Museum, Prague; and the Israel Museum,
Jerusalem.
Castiglioni has taken part in several round tables on Industrial Design
in Italy and abroad and has been a member of both national and
international juries.
1997 The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Photo of Achille Castiglioni by
Cesare Colombo
Alessi.
Alessi, The Design Factory.
London: Academy Editions,
1994.
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Arte Funeraria d'Oggi.
Milan: Hoepli, 1959.
Aloi, Roberto.
Esposizioni: Architettura
Allestimenti. Milan: Hoepli,
1960.
Ambasz, Emilio.
Italy: The New Domestic Landscape. New York: The
Museum of Modern Art, 1972.
Collezione per un modello di museo del disegno
industriale italiano. Milan: Fabbri, 1990.
Techniques Discrtes: Le design mobilier en Italie 19801990. Catalog. Milan: Electa, 1991.
Argan, Giulio Carlo.
L'Arte Moderna 1770/1970. Florence: Sansoni, 1970.
Bangert, Albrecht.
Italienisches Mbeldesign. Munich: Bangert, 1987.
Barbacetto, Gianni.
Interfaccia Design. Milan: Arcadia, 1987.
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In Good Shape: Style in Industrial Products, 1900 to
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Benevolo, Leonardo.
Storia dell'Architettura Moderna. Bari: Laterza, 1970.
Bettinelli, Eugenio.
Oggetto e Prodotto. Milan: Franco Angeli, 1987.
Biffi Gentili, Enzo.
Artedesign: La Sindrome di Leonardo. Turin: Umberto
Allemandi, 1995.
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Catalogo Bolaffi dell'Architettura. Turin: Bolaffi, 1966.
Borsen Holtmann, Nina.
Italian Design. Cologne: Benedikt Taschen, 1994.
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Un museo del Design Italiano: Il Design Italiano 19641990. Milan: Electa, 1996.
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Product Design. New York: PBC International, 1984.
A la Castiglioni. Catalog. Barcelona: Generalitat de
Catalunya, 1995.
Designed by Architects in the 1980s. New York: Rizzoli,
1988.
Casciani, Stefano.
Arte Industriale. Milan: Arcadia, 1988.
Casciani, Stefano.
Il Sogno del Comando. Milan: BTicino, Citt Studi, 1995.
Casciani, Stefano.
Mobili come Architetture. Milan: Arcadia, 1984.
Centrokappa.
Il Design Italiano Degli Anni '50. Catalog. Milan:
Editoriale Domus, 1980.
Conran Foundation.
Art and Industry: A Century of Design in the Product We
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Achille Castiglioni. Milan: Electa, 1984.
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Driade Book. Milan: Skira, 1995.
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High Tech. New York: Clarkson N. Potter, 1979.
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"Ma chi progetta per l'industria non deve pensare alla
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733. December 1991, pp. 82-92.
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1994, pp. 52-61.
Romanelli, Marco.
"Quattro oggetti e alcune riflessioni." Domus 725. March
1991, pp. 64-73.
Scevola, Annamaria.
"Long Live the Light." Ottagono. June 1993, pp. 99-104.
Vitta, Maurizio.
"An Eloquent Sign" L'Arca 91. March 1995, pp. 90-92.
Vitta, Maurizio.
"Form in Design."L'Arca 64. October 1992, pp. 84-87.
Weinberg-Staber, Margit.
"Design: Vor de Rckker zur Moderne." Du 8. 1988, pp.
66-71.
Zelinsky, Marilyn.
"Risk Taker." Interiors. November 1991, pp. 70-71.
Vitagliani, S.
"Tesi Laurea nella Facolt di Archittetura di Torino:
Corso progettazione artistica per l'industria." Casabella
46. January/February 1982, pp. 92-93.
Ventosa lamp, 1962

Rubber, steel, 4 3/4 x 2 3/8 x 2 3/8"
"An experimental and adjustable spotlight", as Castiglioni
defines it, Ventosa is a small reflector supported by a suction
cup ("ventosa") that connects to any smooth surface,
including the reader's forehead-thus making the reader part
of the fixture.
[Return to Bibliography]
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MoMA.org | Interactives | Exhibitions | 1997 | Achille Castiglioni: Design!

MoMA.org | Interactives | Exhibitions | 1997 | Achille Castiglioni: Design! | Index

today, Castiglioni has designed dozens of objects, as well

The full text of this essay is available.

http://www.moma.org/interactives/exhibitions/1997/castiglioni/ (2 of 3) [4/6/2012 12:20:08 PM]

MoMA.org | Interactives | Exhibitions | 1997 | Achille Castiglioni: Design! | Index

1997 The Museum of Modern Art, New York

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MoMA.org | Interactives | Exhibitions | 1997 | Achille Castiglioni: Design! | Intro

Design is one of the highest expressions of twentieth-century creativity, and

MoMA.org | Interactives | Exhibitions | 1997 | Achille Castiglioni: Design! | Intro

The full text of this essay is available.

1997 The Museum of Modern Art, New York

http://www.moma.org/interactives/exhibitions/1997/castiglioni/intro.html (2 of 2) [4/6/2012 12:20:10 PM]

MoMA.org | Interactives | Exhibitions | 1997 | Achille Castiglioni: Design! | Curator's Essay

MoMA.org | Interactives | Exhibitions | 1997 | Achille Castiglioni: Design! | Curator's Essay

http://www.moma.org/interactives/exhibitions/1997/castiglioni/essay.html (2 of 6) [4/6/2012 12:20:12 PM]

MoMA.org | Interactives | Exhibitions | 1997 | Achille Castiglioni: Design! | Curator's Essay

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MoMA.org | Interactives | Exhibitions | 1997 | Achille Castiglioni: Design! | Curator's Essay

The illustrated vignettes by Steven Guarnaccia that appear throughout the

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MoMA.org | Interactives | Exhibitions | 1997 | Achille Castiglioni: Design! | Curator's Essay

overcrowded Architectural School of the Polytechnic of

Castiglioni demonstrated to his throngs of students the

http://www.moma.org/interactives/exhibitions/1997/castiglioni/essay.html (5 of 6) [4/6/2012 12:20:12 PM]

MoMA.org | Interactives | Exhibitions | 1997 | Achille Castiglioni: Design! | Curator's Essay

1997 The Museum of Modern Art, New York

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MoMA.org | Interactives | Exhibitions | 1997 | Achille Castiglioni: Design!

7000 trays, 1983

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MoMA.org | Interactives | Exhibitions | 1997 | Achille Castiglioni: Design!

http://www.moma.org/interactives/exhibitions/1997/castiglioni/works_f.html (2 of 2) [4/6/2012 12:20:17 PM]

MoMA.org | Interactives | Exhibitions | 1997 | Achille Castiglioni: Design! | Checklist

Objects in the Photomontage

http://www.moma.org/interactives/exhibitions/1997/castiglioni/checklist.html (1 of 13) [4/6/2012 12:20:19 PM]

MoMA.org | Interactives | Exhibitions | 1997 | Achille Castiglioni: Design! | Checklist

The Museum of Modern Art,

Seats, 1957; LEGS: Right:

Bavero tableware, 1997

MoMA.org | Interactives | Exhibitions | 1997 | Achille Castiglioni: Design! | Checklist

Wood, 13 13/16 x 20 1/2 x 25 1/2"

MoMA.org | Interactives | Exhibitions | 1997 | Achille Castiglioni: Design! | Checklist

Glass, silicon, steel,

MoMA.org | Interactives | Exhibitions | 1997 | Achille Castiglioni: Design! | Checklist

Lampadina table or wall lamp, 1972

MoMA.org | Interactives | Exhibitions | 1997 | Achille Castiglioni: Design! | Checklist

Manufactured by Ritzenhoff Cristall

MoMA.org | Interactives | Exhibitions | 1997 | Achille Castiglioni: Design! | Checklist

Wood, hand-crafted mattress,

MoMA.org | Interactives | Exhibitions | 1997 | Achille Castiglioni: Design! | Checklist

Lent by George and Louise Beylerian

MoMA.org | Interactives | Exhibitions | 1997 | Achille Castiglioni: Design! | Checklist

78 3/4 x 13 13/16 x 13 13/16"

MoMA.org | Interactives | Exhibitions | 1997 | Achille Castiglioni: Design! | Checklist

Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni

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MoMA.org | Interactives | Exhibitions | 1997 | Achille Castiglioni: Design! | Checklist

Steel, 51 1/4 x 6 x 6"

MoMA.org | Interactives | Exhibitions | 1997 | Achille Castiglioni: Design! | Checklist

Water: 3 1/2 x 2 3/4 x 2 3/4"

http://www.moma.org/interactives/exhibitions/1997/castiglioni/checklist.html (12 of 13) [4/6/2012 12:20:19 PM]

MoMA.org | Interactives | Exhibitions | 1997 | Achille Castiglioni: Design! | Checklist