The Design of the Castiglioni Brothers

The book The design of Castiglioni Brothers, edited by Dario Scodeller, brings together for the first time the works of the brothers Livio, Pier Giacomo and Achille Castiglioni. The leitmotif of the book is the collaboration between the three architects and designers, whose work marked the history of Italian design: the new contributions by Dario Scodeller, Fiorella Bulegato, Elena Brigi, Daniele Vincenzi, Alberto Bassi and Alessandra Acocella focus on numerous themes, ranging from their first experiments to the creation of innovative projects and objects that have since become icons of design. The pages, filled with archive images, recount the role of Studio Castiglioni in the culture of design, the installations for RAI at the Fiera di Milano, the relationship with business but also with the artistic avant-garde, the importance of “anonymous design” for design practice. There are also personal contributions by Piero, Livio's son, Giorgina, Pier Giacomo’s daughter and Carlo, Achille's son, who cast a familiar light on the Castiglioni brothers, recounting their daily lives and underlining the playful and ironic approach that united them. The book is published in conjunction with the exhibition organised at the Harry Bertoia Gallery in Pordenone, a collaboration between Unione Industriali Pordenone, the Municipality of Pordenone and the Fondazione Achille Castiglioni.

This volume was selected by the ADI Permanent Design Observatory as an example of the best Italian design put into production.