Mourning in design: Ernesto Gismondi, founder of Artemide, dies



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“He himself, an aerospace engineer, has repeatedly said – Sala added – that he had chosen Milan attracted by its great vitality in the 1960s. But it is precisely to people like Ernesto Gismondi that we owe the development of Milanese design as a synonym. Italian lifestyle around the world. We will have to follow his lesson very carefully, already in the firm hands of his beloved Carlotta, to get back on the path of our new development in the coming years. “

Boeri: “Gismondi illuminated the world” “Ernesto Gismondi, great innovator and friend, left us.” The architect and president of the Triennale Milano Stefano Boeri wrote it on Twitter, recalling that Gismondi “lit up the world with Artemide, was the first to use plastic to make furniture, ran head-on in the seas of politics and entrepreneurship, opened new horizons at http: // design “. “His anti-rhetorical genius – he concluded – I will miss him”.

Who was Born in San Remo (Imperia) on December 25, 1931, in 1957 Gismondi received a degree in aeronautical engineering from the Polytechnic of Milan and in 1959 he received a degree in missile engineering from the Superior School of Engineering in Rome. Since the beginning of the 60s he has been dedicated to the design and production of lighting fixtures, founding in 1959 with the designer Sergio Mazza Studio Artemide Sas, from which the Artemide Group was developed. He established himself as an international designer, participating, as one of the creators, in “Memphis”, an avant-garde movement that has led to a profound evolution of the design sector in Italy and in the world and designing various successful devices for his Group. Under his leadership, the Artemide Group has seen its market share grow over the years and increase its international presence, becoming one of the main operators in the design lighting sector, a role that has earned it important awards such as the Compasso d ‘Gold for Lifetime Achievement (1994) and the European Design Prize (1997).

The Artemide brand has been characterized since its inception by great attention to design that has allowed it over the years to win numerous international awards for its products. The Milanese company obtained its first award already in 1967: the prestigious Compasso d’Oro for the ‘Eclisse’ lamp, designed by Vico Magistretti. This award is followed by many others, nationally and internationally, making Artemide one of the symbolic companies in the design lamp sector. Subsequently, the company won the Compasso d’Oro award three more times: in 1989 for the ‘Tolomeo’ lamp by Michele De Lucchi and Giancarlo Fassina; in 2004 for the Herzog & De Meuron ‘Pipe’ wall lamp, in 2014 for the ‘In-Ei’ Collection ‘lamps by Issey Miyake. In particular, the Tolomeo lamp is among the products that have contributed to making the company famous by becoming a design icon. Designed in 1986 by De Lucchi and Fassina, the Tolomeo arm lamp was made in different models, all characterized by an innovative suspension mechanism that represents an evolution of the traditional springs already used in arm lamps. Another famous lamp is ‘Nesso’ designed by Giancarlo Mattioli in 1965.

In 1996 Artemide endorsed a new manifesto, in which it still identifies today: with the motto “Human light” the Milanese company underlines its desire to put light at the service of man and his needs. From 1964 to 1984, Gismondi was an associate professor of missile engines at the Politecnico di Milano. He was vice president of ADI – Industrial Design Association and has held numerous positions in the Lombard Industrial Association (Assolombarda), Federmeccanica, Confindustria, Ente Autonomo Fiera di Milano and in the Ministry of University and Research. He was also a member of the Scientific Didactic Committee of the Higher Institute of Artistic Industries / Industrial Design of Florence, with the appointment of the Ministry of Public Education, the Cosmit Board of Arbitrators (organizing committee of the Salone del Mobile in Milan) and the CNEL. , on the appointment of the Presidency of the Republic. He has chaired and participated in numerous seminars, in Italy and abroad, on design and its developments and on energy saving applied to lighting.

In 2008 he received the Ernst & Young award “The Entrepreneur of the Year 2008” in the Innovation category, in addition to the prestigious appointment as Cavaliere del Lavoro conferred by the President of the Republic Giorgio Napolitano. In 2009 he received the Ernst & Young award “Entrepreneur of the year 2009” in the Communication category. Many world famous architects and designers have collaborated and continue to collaborate with Artemide, such as Vico Magistretti, Claudio Dini, Richard Sapper, Michele De Lucchi, Achille Castiglioni, Gianfranco Frattini, Jan van Lierde, Zebulon, Andrea Anastasio, Peter Zegers, Adrien Gardere, Toni Corsero, Carlo Forcolini, Carlotta de Bevilacqua.

Gismondi received the Compasso d’Oro for his career with the following motivation from the jury: “Aerospace engineer, university professor and entrepreneur, in short: a man of versatile genius. This long path encourages and enhances collaborations with the world of national and international design. A coherent example of how the design project can be a concrete strategic lever for cultural and economic growth, it has always worked so that Italian design is a virtuous example at the international level “



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