Massimo Iosa Ghini (born 18 June 1959) is an

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs, and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

designer A designer is a person who plans the form or structure of something before it is made, by preparing drawings or plans. In practice, anyone who creates tangible or intangible objects, products, processes, laws, games, graphics, services, or exper ...

, and

professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an Academy, academic rank at university, universities and other tertiary education, post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin ...

, known for his contributions to the Bolidist Movement and his work with

Memphis Group The Memphis Group, also known as Memphis Milano, was an Italian design and architecture group founded by Ettore Sottsass. It was active from 1980 to 1987. The group designed postmodern furniture, lighting, fabrics, carpets, ceramics, glass and me ...

architects such as

Ettore Sottsass Ettore Sottsass (; 14 September 1917 – 31 December 2007) was an Italian architect and product designer. He was known for his designs of furniture, jewelry, glass, lighting, homeware and office supplies. He also worked on numerous buildings an ...

and

Michael Graves Michael Graves (July 9, 1934 – March 12, 2015) was an American architect, designer, and educator, and principal of Michael Graves and Associates and Michael Graves Design Group. He was a member of The New York Five and the Memphis Group and ...

. Iosa Ghini is recognized for his streamlined and organic designs that blend disciplines, forms, and dimensions—transcending the boundaries between

art Art is a diverse range of cultural activity centered around ''works'' utilizing creative or imaginative talents, which are expected to evoke a worthwhile experience, generally through an expression of emotional power, conceptual ideas, tec ...

design A design is the concept or proposal for an object, process, or system. The word ''design'' refers to something that is or has been intentionally created by a thinking agent, and is sometimes used to refer to the inherent nature of something ...

, and

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 construction, constructi ...

. His career spans decades and includes projects in

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

, the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, and

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

. He owns a substantial

collection Collection or Collections may refer to: Computing * Collection (abstract data type), the abstract concept of collections in computer science * Collection (linking), the act of linkage editing in computing * Garbage collection (computing), autom ...

furniture Furniture refers to objects intended to support various human activities such as seating (e.g., Stool (seat), stools, chairs, and sofas), eating (table (furniture), tables), storing items, working, and sleeping (e.g., beds and hammocks). Furnitur ...

, reflecting his

futuristic The future is the time after the past and present. Its arrival is considered inevitable due to the existence of time and the laws of physics. Due to the apparent nature of reality and the unavoidability of the future, everything that currently e ...

design style. In 1990, he founded the architecture and design firm Iosa Ghini Associati in

Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...

Schooling

Massimo Iosa Ghini was born in

Bologna Bologna ( , , ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy. It is the List of cities in Italy, seventh most populous city in Italy, with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nationalities. Its M ...

, Italy, on 18 June 1959. Initially interested in

illustration An illustration is a decoration, interpretation, or visual explanation of a text, concept, or process, designed for integration in print and digitally published media, such as posters, flyers, magazines, books, teaching materials, animations, vi ...

, he developed a passion for architecture and studied it at Milan Polytechnic. After graduating, he immersed himself in the dynamic atmosphere of the 1980s, which influenced much of his later work. He also explored artistic endeavors, including furniture and set design for the Italian

RAI (), commercially styled as since 2000 and known until 1954 as (RAI), is the national public broadcasting company of Italy, owned by the Ministry of Economy and Finance. RAI operates many terrestrial and subscription television channels a ...

TV network. In 1981, his unconventional designs caught the attention of the

, a Milan-based collective of architects and designers whose furniture featured colors, shapes, and patterns that challenged traditional design conventions. This association provided valuable learning experiences and opportunities, leading to iconic pieces such as the "Bertrand"

sideboard A sideboard, also called a buffet, is an item of furniture traditionally used in the dining room for serving food, for displaying serving dishes, and for storage. It usually consists of a set of cabinets, or cupboards, and one or more drawers ...

and the "Otello" armchair, one of which was sold at auction from the collection of the late

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer, songwriter and actor. Regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Bowie was acclaimed by critics and musicians, pa ...

in 2016. Iosa Ghini has held teaching positions at Sapienza University in

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

, the

Hong Kong University of Science and Technology The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) is a public research university in Sai Kung District, New Territories, Hong Kong. Founded in 1991, it was the territory's third institution to be granted university status, and the firs ...

, and Ferrara University.

Bolidism

Massimo Iosa Ghini is recognized as a pioneer of Bolidism, an artistic style emphasizing the

aesthetics Aesthetics (also spelled esthetics) is the branch of philosophy concerned with the nature of beauty and taste (sociology), taste, which in a broad sense incorporates the philosophy of art.Slater, B. H.Aesthetics ''Internet Encyclopedia of Ph ...

of visual media over the traditional function of furniture. The objective of Bolidism is to depict the transition from materiality to a more visual representation of objects, drawing inspiration from contemporary styles and the older style of

futurism Futurism ( ) was an Art movement, artistic and social movement that originated in Italy, and to a lesser extent in other countries, in the early 20th century. It emphasized dynamism, speed, technology, youth, violence, and objects such as the ...

, especially its fascination with the interplay between

machines A machine is a physical system that uses power to apply forces and control movement to perform an action. The term is commonly applied to artificial devices, such as those employing engines or motors, but also to natural biological macromolec ...

and

human beings Humans (''Homo sapiens'') or modern humans are the most common and widespread species of primate, and the last surviving species of the genus ''Homo''. They are great apes characterized by their hairlessness, bipedalism, and high intellige ...

Architecture

In 1990, Iosa Ghini co-founded Iosa Ghini Associati with his wife, Milena Mussi. Since then, his firm has collaborated with international groups on large-scale residential, commercial, and public space projects. Iosa Ghini is known for his contemporary take on

, as seen in his 2015 design for the

Ferrari Ferrari S.p.A. (; ) is an Italian luxury sports car manufacturer based in Maranello. Founded in 1939 by Enzo Ferrari (1898–1988), the company built Auto Avio Costruzioni 815, its first car in 1940, adopted its current name in 1945, and be ...

Factory Store in Milan. In 2012, the Italian Pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale featured Iosa Ghini's work on the "Seat Pagine Gialle" offices in

Turin Turin ( , ; ; , then ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The city is main ...

in their exhibition, "Architecture del Made in Italy."

Product design

The-bertrand-sideboard-from-designer-massimo-iosa-ghini-was-estimated-to-sell-for-6613-it-sold-for-25140

Several of Iosa Ghini's works were featured in the Memphis Project. His furniture concepts belong to museum collections. Iosa Ghini has received several design awards, including the Good Design Award from the

Chicago Athenaeum The Chicago Athenaeum is a private museum of architecture and design, based in Galena, Illinois. The museum focuses on the art of design in all areas of the discipline: architecture, industrial and product design, graphics, landscape architecture ...

, the Roscoe Award, the IAI Green Design Award in China, the iF Product Design Award, and the

Red Dot Award The Red Dot Design Award is an international, annual design competition for Product design, product and industrial design, Communication design, brand and communication design as well as design concepts, in which the Red Dot quality label is awar ...

Work

The Iosa Ghini website features the following projects: *Brickell Flatiron, Miami (USA) - Currently under constructionTHE JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF ARCHITECTS https://www.architectmagazine.com/project-gallery/brickell-flatiron *Marconi Express, People Mover, Bologna (Italy) *OKO Residential Building, Moscow (Russia) - Completed in 2016 *"Linea di Luce" (Italy) - Completed in 2014 *IBM Italia, IBM Software Executive Briefing Center, Rome (Italy) - Completed in 2010 *Garage San Marco, Venice (Italy) - Completed in 2009 *Ferrari Factory Store, Serravalle Scrivia (Italy) - Completed in 2009 *Ferrari, Galleria Museo Ferrari, Maranello (Italy) - Completed in 2004 *Boscolo Group, New York Residence, Budapest (Hungary) - Completed in 2004 *Kiko Make Up Milano, Stores - Ongoing since 2006 *Superga, Stores - Established in 1997

Bibliography

* ''Massimo Iosa Ghini, Sillavengo'', Edition Rossi Schreiber, 1991 * ''Massimo Iosa Ghini Disegni'', Kalòs, 1992 * ''Massimo Iosa Ghini'', N.N. Edizioni, Düsseldorf, 1993 * ''La Stazione della metropolitana Kroepke a Hannover'', Electa, Milan, 2000 * ''15 anni di progetti'', Electa, Milan, 2001 * ''Car Corporate Image'', Electa, Milan, 2002 * ''Design del Negozio - lo Spazio Esperienziale'', 2002 * ''Esercizi di architettura - Involucri – Exercises in architecture'', Electa, Milan, 2003 * ''Massimo Iosa Ghini da designer ad architetto'', Editrice Compositori, Bologna, 2005 * ''Massimo Iosa Ghini, Disegni di architetture'', Antonia Jannone Galleria, 2007 *
Sostenibile Ma Bello. Progetti di Iosa Ghini Associati
' Editrice Compositori, Bologna, 2009 * Design del XX secolo, Charlotte & Peter Fiell, Taschen, 2011 *
Agora / Form and Technology / IBM Software Executive Briefing Center – Rome
', Electa, Milan, 2012 *

', Vol. 33, Hachette Fascicoli, Milan, 2012 *

', Skira Editore, Milan, 2013

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Iosa Ghini, Massimo Living people 1959 births Architects from Bologna