Franco Albini (17 October 1905 – 1 November 1977) was an Italian Neo-Rationalist architect, designer and university instructor in design. A native of

Robbiate Robbiate ( Brianzöö: ) is a '' comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Lecco in the Italian region Lombardy, located about northeast of Milan and about south of Lecco. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 5,333 and an area of . ...

, near

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard language, Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the List of cities in Italy, second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 ...

, Albini obtained his degree in

architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing buildings ...

Politecnico di Milano The Polytechnic University of Milan () is the largest technical university in Italy, with about 42,000 students. The university offers undergraduate, graduate and higher education courses in engineering, architecture and design. Founded in 186 ...

University in 1929 and began his professional career working for Gio Ponti. He started displaying his works at Milan Triennale In 1930 he opened his own practice. Through his creations, the modern furniture design merged the Italian traditional artisanship with the new forms of modernism. In his creations, he used raw, inexpensive materials. He exploited the very skilled Italian craftsmanship. This also meant an elegant design based on a minimalist aesthetic. One of his first successful works in 1939 was a radio, encased in glass, so to show its internal components. In 1928 Albini designed the now-iconic "Albini Desk", combining steel, glass and wood with a striking minimalistic balance, and introduced by Knoll in 1949. In 1950 he designed the famous and fashionable "Margherita" and "Gala" chairs, made of woven cane. In 1952 he created the "Fiorenza" armchair for

Arflex Arflex is an Italian company that makes and sells contemporary furniture. History In 1947, after the war, a group of researchers and entrepreneurs began to work on two new upholstering materials, foam rubber and elastic tape made by Pirelli, ...

; in 1955 the "Luisa" chair; in 1956 the "Rocking chaise" for

Poggi Poggi is an Italian surname, derived from the word ''poggio'', meaning ''knoll''. Notable people with the surname include: * Amelio Poggi (1914–1974), Italian bishop and diplomat * Ansaldo Poggi, Italian luthier * Antonio Poggi, Italian tenor ...

. In the 1960s he worked on industrial design as well as important architectural projects. In 1961 he designed the Rome Rinascente building. Three years later he designed with Franca Helg and Bob Noorda the

Milan Metro Line 1 Line 1 (''Linea Uno'' in Italian) is the first underground rapid transit line built in Milan, Italy. It is part of the Milan Metro and it is operated by ATM. Works on the line began in 1957, and the first part was opened on 1 November 1964, runni ...

subway stations, and from 1969 also

Milan Metro Line 2 Line 2 (''Linea Due'' in Italian), is a subway line serving Milan, Italy, operated by ATM as part of the Milan Metro. It is also called the Green Line, (''Linea Verde'' in Italian), as it is visually identified by green signs. The line runs from ...

subway stations. In 1964 the television set he created for Brionvega was displayed at the

Milan Triennial XIII The Milan Triennial XIII was the Triennial in Milan on the theme of ''Leisure'', sanctioned by the Bureau of International Expositions (BIE) on 12 November 1963 and held between 12 June 1964 and 27 September 1964. Prizes The grand prize was award ...

. In the same year, he created various lamps for Arteluce. Albini worked for companies including Brionvega, Cassina, Arflex, Arteluce and Poggi. He was also an architect and interior designer. Among others, in 1945 he created the Zanini Fur Shop located in Milan. As writer and editor, from 1945 to 1946 he worked for the Italian magazine '' Casabella''. In the 1950s and 1960s he taught interior design at the Venice School of Architecture ( Università Iuav di Venezia). From 1963 to 1977 he taught design at

Milan Polytechnic The Polytechnic University of Milan () is the largest technical university in Italy, with about 42,000 students. The university offers undergraduate, graduate and higher education courses in engineering, architecture and design. Founded in 186 ...

(Politecnico di Milano). In 1971 he was appointed an Honorary

Royal Designer for Industry Royal Designer for Industry is a distinction established by the British Royal Society of Arts (RSA) in 1936, to encourage a high standard of industrial design and enhance the status of designers. It is awarded to people who have achieved "sustained ...

(RDI) by the

Royal Society for Arts The Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA), also known as the Royal Society of Arts, is a London-based organisation committed to finding practical solutions to social challenges. The RSA acronym is used m ...

(RSA) in London. Albini obtained three Compasso d'Oro awards, the most prestigious Italian design prize.

Publications

* *Sherer, Daniel. "Rationalism and Paradox in Franco Albini's and Franca Helg's Architecture and Design, 1934–1977," in D. Sherer, Aldo Colonetti, eds. Franco Albini and Franca Helg Design (Milan, 2009), 9–38. *Leet, Stephen. ''Franco Albini, Architecture and Design, 1934–1977'' (Princeton Architectural Press, New York, 1990). *Jones, Kay Bea. ''Suspending Modernity: The Architecture of Franco Albini'', Surrey: Ashgate, 2014

References

External links

World Wide Arts Resources

Franco Albini Foundation
{{DEFAULTSORT:Albini, Franco 1905 births 1977 deaths 20th-century Italian architects Architects from Milan Italian industrial designers Casabella editors Italian urban planners Modernist architects from Italy Olivetti people People from the Province of Lecco Polytechnic University of Milan alumni Italian furniture designers Designers Compasso d'Oro Award recipients Royal Designers for Industry