Sergio Asti

Sergio Asti (1926–2021) was one of the great masters who, in the postwar period, helped shape the practices and styles of emerging Italian design. Active from 1953 following his studies in architecture at the Politecnico di Milano, and a founding member of ADI from 1956, Asti shared with many other Milanese designers of his generation the ability to work across different scales. His practice ranged from the design of full architectural works—such as the FIAT showroom in Milan (1964) or the FISI Presidential Offices, also built in Milan in 1976—to the creation of small-scale objects such as vases and door handles. Among these is the iconic Tizianella handle of 1962, still one of the major bestsellers in Olivari’s production. Across all these fields, Asti consistently demonstrated a strong attention to plastic values, perhaps the most distinctive feature of his versatile design language. It was precisely a vase—the Marco model designed for the Venetian glassmaker Salviati—that earned him his first and only Compasso d’Oro in 1962. Asti can also boast the inclusion of no fewer than seven of his works in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Today, he is remembered above all for his lighting designs, created for brands such as Martinelli Luce and FontanaArte. He also worked in the field of furniture design, collaborating with some of the most important companies of his time, including Zanotta, Knoll, and Kartell, although many of his furniture designs are no longer in production.