Michele De Lucchi

Michele De Lucchi (1951-) is one of the most important contemporary Italian designers. His artistic trajectory emblematically summarizes the trajectory of Italian design in recent decades: born in Ferrara, during his university years he is one of the leaders of the student protest and participates in the front row in an occupation of the Milan Triennale. Standard bearer of radical design, he was strongly influenced by the figure of Ettore Sottsass, whom he will follow in his experimental experiences with Studio Alchimia and with the Memphis collective, of which he is one of the founding members. His period creations are characterized by bold colors and deconstructed shapes, as in the famous First chair. At the same time he approaches big industry, establishing a close collaboration with Olivetti. At the end of the 1980s he designed one of the most successful products in the history of Italian design, the Tolomeo lamp for Artemide (co-signed with Giancarlo Fassina), which led him to win his first Compasso d'Oro in 1989. It was just the beginning: three more followed in the decades to come, alongside collaborations with the most prestigious Italian brands such as Alessi, Alias, Molteni & C., Cassina, Riva 1920, De Castelli, Listone Giordano and many others. He also founded his own brand, Produzione Privata, dedicated to the limited series production of simple and precious furnishings. In parallel, his studio develops an appreciated international activity in the field of architecture, creating works such as the Unicredit Pavillion in Milan or the Bridge of Peace in Tbilisi.