Ludovico “Vico” Magistretti (1920-2006) was an Italian design master, remembered for his spare style. He liked to say, “Simplicity is intellectually more elegant.” It is well known that most of his design objects were developed “on the phone,” talking directly to their makers. In order to convey his design ideas he did not stop at traditional drawings but made use of measurements and pure, simple forms like the square and triangle. After a prolific era in the 1950s, focused mainly on architecture, in the late 1960s, his focus shifted gradually to object design. Despite this change in direction, he never left architecture behind, bringing its essence into the realm of object design.

His skill at turning essential style into brilliance is reflected in his iconic works like the Chimera lamp and the Maralunga sofa. His experimentation pushed boundaries with pieces like the Nathalie bed, the first made fully of textile, and the Atollo lamp, both emblematic of his defining style. Magistretti’s long and varied career revolved around a fundamental theme – the union between architectural design and object design. These two areas – at the time part of a single program at the Politecnico of Milan – completely reflect Magistretti’s unified vision. He made no clear separation between the two disciplines, seeking to make them intersect in an ongoing dialogue between form, function, and simplicity.