Joe Colombo
“I did not design this chair,” he said, “I calculated it.” - Joe Cesare Colombo
Born: July 30, 1930, Milan, Italy
Died: July 30, 1971, Milan, Italy
NATIONALITY: ITALIAN
Education: Politecnico di Milano, Brera Academy.
JOE COLOMBO (1930-1971)
Joe Colombo was born in Milan in 1930. Colombo was the son of an industrialist which largely influenced him. He studied at the Brera Academy of Fine Arts and the Milan Polytechnic.
As an adolescent he spent his time in the fields of painting, architecture, graphics and industry management. In the early 1950s he joined the painting group nuclear power with Enrico Baj.
It wasn’t until 1959, almost a decade later that he would fully devote himself to design. During this time, his father passed away which ultimately led him to experiment further with electrical matters and new materials.
In 1962, Colombo opens his first design studio in Milan.
His design projects are characterized by daring and radical ideas, alwasy pushing the boundaries and experimenting with various techniques, materials and solutions to shape the modern world of design.
Joe Colombo passed away in 1971 at the age of 41 from a heart attack.
In 1972, Joe Colombo’s work was a part of the exhibition "Italy: The New Domestic Landscape" at the MoMA in New York where his project "Global Unity furnishing" is exhibited. In 1984, the Musée d'Art Moderne, Villeneuve d'Ascq (France) held a retrospective of his work.
many of his projects were produced years later also by Ignazia Favata who directs his studio.
AWARDS:
1963 - Gold medal at the Milan Triennale with the Acrilica table lamp, Oluce (permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in Philadelphia)
1964 - Gold Medal at the XIII Triennale di Milano - Programmable system for living.
1967 - Compasso d'Oro Award for the Spider lamp, Oluce.
1968 - Design International Award in Chicago.
1970 - Compasso d'Oro Award for an Air Conditioner, CANDY.
1971 - First SMAU prize in Milan for Boby, B-Line.
1972 - Global furnishing unit at the Italy: The New Domestic Landscape exhibition
(MOMA of New York).
1984 - Retrospective at the Musée d'Art Moderne in Villeneuve-d'Ascq.
2005 - JOE COLOMBO retrospective Inventig the future, Triennale di Milano.
LINKS:
The New Domestic Landscape (MoMA di New York)
Joe Colombo - Oluce
PLEASE NOTE* WE HAVE NOT INCLUDED EVERY WORK OF JOE COLOMBO’S, WE URGE OUR READERS TO DO THEIR OWN INDEPENDENT RESEARCH INTO ALL OF HIS DESIGNS.
DISCLAIMER: THE MILLIE VINTAGE DOES NOT OWN ANY RIGHTS TO THESE PHOTOS. PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL IMAGES AND COPYRIGHT BELONGS TO THE ORIGINAL OWNERS. NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT INTENDED.
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