Pier Giacomo Castiglioni (1913 – 1968)

Achille Castiglioni (1918 – 2002)

They were iconic Italian architects, industrial designers and educators, leading figures of post-war Italian modern design. Born in Milan into an artistic family, both graduated in Architecture from Politecnico di Milano.

Pier Giacomo founded a design studio with their elder brother Livio in 1938. Achille joined the practice after his graduation in 1944. When Livio left in 1952, Pier Giacomo and Achille worked closely as a creative duo until Pier Giacomo’s death in 1968.

Their works covered lighting, furniture, household objects, exhibition and architecture. Their design philosophy featured functionalism, playful wit and creative reuse of ready-made industrial parts. They co-founded ADI (Associazione per il Disegno Industriale) in 1956. The pair won nine Compasso d’Oro Awards (Italy’s highest design prize). Many of their pieces are collected by MoMA, V&A Museum and other world-famous institutions.

Pier Giacomo taught at Politecnico di Milano. After 1968, Achille continued his design career independently and taught at the Faculty of Architecture in Turin and Politecnico di Milano, inspiring generations of designers.