Achille Castiglioni

Born in Milan in 1918. As early as 1940 he devoted himself to experimenting with mass-produced artifacts, with his architect brothers Livio and Pier Giacomo. After receiving his degree in architecture in 1944, he and Pier Giacomo initiated their designing career; the poetic was entirely based on “new” forms, techniques and materials. The aim was to attain an "integral" design process.

One of the founders of the ADI, he has starred in numerous Milan Triennale shows. Castiglioni's part in creating some of the cleverest modern design objects has been particularly important. In addition, he has created a host of installations, including those for the Triennale itself and for the exhibition of Zanotta's collection at Linz's 1980 Forum Design.

His production is portrayed in the essays on Italian design and in the records of the Compasso d'Oro (which he has won several times). Also, it can be found in the major design museums. Since 1969 he started teaching, from 1981 to 1993 he has been professor of Decorating and Industrial Design at the Faculty of Architecture at the Milan Polytechnic. Achille Castiglioni has been working for Zanotta since 1964 until his death in 2002.