On June 12, Luminaire Chicago hosted the opening reception for their latest exhibition titled Achille Castiglioni 100, celebrating the centennial of the Italian master. The event coincided with NeoCon’s 50th edition in Chicago as the world’s leading platform in commercial design.
Considered to be one of the most iconic Italian architects and industrial designers, Achille Castiglioni is best known for his practical yet playful designs imbued by his personality filled with wit, curiosity, and love for paradoxes. Experimenting with industrial production as early on as 1940, Castiglioni was very much inspired by everyday objects and "Design demands observation" became one of his many mottos.
During the event, over 200 guests experienced Castiglioni’s unique designs with a selection of deconstructed pieces, allowing viewers to closely examine the creative process of his designs. Staged to resemble Castiglioni’s Milanese studio, a curated collection of his most iconic pieces for renowned brands Alessi, Flos, and Zanotta were on display.
Included were designs like the Mezzadro stool, Arco lamp, Allunaggio stool, and Taccia table lamp among others. The exhibition was paired with insightful sketches and images aiming to reveal the stories behind the experimentation, assembly, and product design.
Throughout the evening guests enjoyed the celebratory environment, discussing how the installation really conveyed Castiglioni’s cleverness and sense of humor. Luminaire was happy to celebrate the opening and share a beautiful evening with dear friends including designers Patricia Urquiola, Erwan Bouroullec, Keiji Takeuchi, Marco Susani and Defne Koz of Koz Susani Design, Ola Rune of Claesson Koivisto Rune, Poltrona Frau's CEO Dario Rinero, CEO of B&B Italia Giorgio Busnelli as well as key members from Flos and Zanotta.
Achille Castiglioni is on show until mid-July 2018 and is available for view Monday - Saturday, 10 am - 6 pm at Luminaire's Chicago location.
September 2018
