Elegance with mass appeal

Vico Magistretti adept at creating the

Italian design legend Vico Magistretti will be 83 years young this fall, but the Milanese designer continues to produce objects bearing his trademark of minimalist elegance.
Magistretti is widely regarded as one of the greats of 20th century Italian design, inevitably mentioned in the same breath as equally accomplished designers such as Gio Ponti, Enzo Mari and the Castiglione brothers. Abitare magazine noted recently that for generations of designers Magistretti has been "revered as a master of the fundamental design virtues: moderation, good manners and grace."
The veteran designer's best known work may be the Eclisse lamp (1965) for Artemide. Legend has it that Magistretti sketched his original design on the back of a train ticket at Piazza della Conciliazione, but the designer has insisted recently that he never actually drew the design - the lamp resulted from a phone conversation he had with Artemide co-founder Ernesto Gismondi. However the lamp had its genesis, its design is synonymous with a 1960s aesthetic which celebrated the sphere as a form and a symbol of optimism for the future. But Magistretti was looking backwards, not forwards, when he conceived Eclisse. The lamp was modelled on a traditional lantern. Its design is consistent with Magistretti's belief that "design is a way to use things in a different way." Eclisse earned the designer his first Compasso d'Oro in 1967. The manufacturer Artemide describes the Milanese designer's work as "always cheerful, spontaneous and absolutely natural." In 1995, Magistretti was honoured with the Compasso d'Oro for lifetime achievement.
As modest a man as his designs, Magistretti credits Italian industry for leading the way in creating a formidable design culture ripe for international export. "Italian design was produced by the manufacturers, because they took the initiative and said to us: we have to change, we can no longer go on making imitation Louis XV furniture," Magistretti has said. "This was the birth of Italian design - the close dialogue between production and designers".
Design is often hampered by an elitist label but Magistretti has always been interested in reaching as large an audience as possible without sacrificing the quality of his work. "I consider it much more useful to spread a certain 'feeling,' to design a small object for a relatively large series than to design a whole, yet single building, in which only a few can live," he says. Magistretti has practised architecture as well, however. His Milan work includes the Torre al Parco (1953-56), an apartment block at Piazza San Marco (1969-71) and the Piazzale Aquilea building (1962-64), his personal favourite.
Along with lighting, Magistretti has been equally adept at furniture design. His Maralunga sofa (1973) for Cassina and his Atollo lamp for O Luce earned him his second Compasso d'Oro in 1979. It was his woven raffia Carimate chair for Cassina in 1960 which marked his debut as a designer. He has also produced designs for Kartell, Knoll, Denmark's Fritz Hansen and Milan-based Flou, which this year released its latest models of beds designed by Magistretti. He has designed beds for the Italian manufacturer since 1978. De Padova of Milan debuted Magistretti's Zip sofa, a collaboration with designer Birgit Lohmann, at last April's Salone Internazionale del Mobile.
Still active after more than 40 years as a designer, Magistretti has produced more than 120 objects, the majority of which remain in production. This high success rate is testament to Magistretti's achievements and a reflection of the Milan designer's belief that his work - and design generally - should always seek solutions which endure.

Publication Date: 2003-06-22
Story Location: http://tandemnews.com/viewstory.php?storyid=2860