Sergio Asti (25 May 1926 – 27 July 2021) was an Italian designer and architect, primarily known for his industrial designs for firms such as Artemide,

Brionvega Brionvega is an Italian electronics company that is known for manufacturing futuristic television sets and audio equipment, its contributions to post-second world war technological and social advancement in Italian economic miracle, Italian in ...

, , Gabbianelli, Heller,

Knoll In geography, knoll is another term for a knowe or hillock, a small, low, round natural hill or mound. Knoll may also refer to: Places * Knoll Camp, site of an Iron Age hill fort Hampshire, England, United Kingdom * Knoll Lake, Leonard Canyon, ...

, Salviati, and Zanotta.

Life and career

Asti was born in Milan. After receiving his degree in architecture at the

Polytechnic University of Milan The Polytechnic University of Milan (, abbreviated as PoliMi) is a university in Milan, Italy. It is the largest technical university in the country, with about 40,000 enrolled students. The university offers undergraduate, graduate, and higher ...

, he opened his own design studio in 1956. That same year he became one of the founders of the

Associazione per il Disegno Industriale Associazione per il Disegno Industriale (ADI), is an Italian professional organisation of about 1,100 architects, designers, manufacturers, trade journalists, academics, and design universities. Its primary purpose is the promotion of good des ...

. While still a student he designed a

soda syphon Soda or SODA may refer to: *Soft drink, a sweetened, carbonated, and usually flavored drink Chemistry * Some chemical compounds containing sodium ** Sodium carbonate, washing soda or soda ash ** Sodium bicarbonate, baking soda ** Sodium hyd ...

for Saccab which became an icon of 1950s Italian design. It was nominated for a

Compasso d'Oro The Compasso d'Oro (; ) is an industrial design award originated in Italy in 1954. Initially sponsored by the La Rinascente, a Milanese department store, the award has been organised and managed by the Associazione per il Disegno Industriale (ADI ...

in 1956, exhibited at the

Milan Triennial The ''Milan Triennial'' (Triennale di Milano) is an art and design exhibition that takes place every three years at the Triennale di Milano Museum in Milan, Italy. History The exhibition was originally established in 1923 as a biennial architect ...

exhibition in 1957, and later at the

Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street (Manhattan), 53rd Street between Fifth Avenue, Fifth and Sixth Avenues. MoMA's collection spans the late 19th century to the present, a ...

in New York. It is in the permanent collection of the

Triennale di Milano The Triennale di Milano is a museum of art and design in the Parco Sempione in Milan, in Lombardy in northern Italy. It is housed in the , built between 1931 and 1933 to designs by Giovanni Muzio and financed by Antonio Bernocchi and his ...

museum. He went on to win the Compasso d'Oro in 1962 for his glass vase "Marco" manufactured by Salvati, examples of which are in the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art and the

Victoria and Albert Museum The Victoria and Albert Museum (abbreviated V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.8 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and named after Queen ...

. Other designs by Asti include the "Dada" ceramic teapot held in the

Philadelphia Museum of Art The Philadelphia Museum of Art (PMA) is an List of art museums#North America, art museum originally chartered in 1876 for the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia. The main museum building was completed in 1928 on Fairmount, a hill located at ...

, "Boca" stainless steel flatware held in the

Rhode Island School of Design Museum The Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design (RISD Museum) is an art museum integrated with the Rhode Island School of Design, in Providence, Rhode Island, US. The museum was co-founded with the school in 1877. It is the 20th-largest art m ...

and the Cooper Hewitt Museum, and the "Daruma" lamp held in the Museum of Modern Art. Although primarily known for his industrial and interior designs, Asti also designed several buildings, including private houses in

Brienno Brienno (Comasco: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Como in the Italian region of Lombardy, located about north of Milan and about northeast of Como. Brienno borders the following municipalities: Argegno Argegno ( Comasco: ...

and

Arenzano Arenzano (local ) is a coastal town and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Genoa, Liguria, northern Italy, facing the Ligurian Sea. , it has a population of 11,445. This varies during the holiday seasons due to tourist flow. There are a num ...

, the latter with his frequent collaborator Sergio Favre (1927–1967).

Gallery

KARTELL lampada da soffitto KD, 1954.jpg, Pendant lamp for

Kartell Kartell is an Italian company that makes and sells plastic contemporary furniture. It is headquartered in Noviglio, Metropolitan City of Milan, Italy, and it is a subsidiary of Felofin. History The company began manufacturing automobile accesso ...

(1954) CASA T., ARENZANO, 1960.png, Villa Testa,

(1960) CASA G., BRIENNO, 1967.png, Villa in

(1967) BRIONVEGA Tv color Pally, 1973.jpg, "Pally" television for

(1973) Boca flatware by Sergio Asti.jpg, "Boca" stainless steel flatware (1976) SUPEREGO lampada da parete MS, 1982.jpg, Wall sconce for Superego (1982) TIZIANELLA, MILANO, 1961, alzato, sezione.png, Tizianella, Milan (1961)

References

External links

Asti, Sergio
on designindex.org * {{DEFAULTSORT:Asti, Sergio 1926 births 2021 deaths 20th-century Italian architects Modernist architects from Italy Modernist designers Italian furniture designers Italian industrial designers Architects from Milan Polytechnic University of Milan alumni Academic staff of the Polytechnic University of Milan Compasso d'Oro Award recipients Product designers

Life and career

Gallery

References

Further reading

External links