Joe Colombo tableware

Joe Colombo 1930 - 1971

Cesare Colombo, better known as Joe Colombo, was an Italian industrial designer born in 1930 in Milan. Despite his early death at only 41, he would go on to make a major impact on the world of design during his short but intense career, during which he created unforgettable classics that fascinate people all over the world today.

Education and early career

Joe Colombo began his career as an artist after studying at the Accademia di belle arti di Brera. As an artist, he became part of the Movimento Nucleare group, founded by Sergio Dangelo and Enrico Baj. He exhibited abstract expressionist paintings and sculptures, primarily in his native Italy, but also internationally. Alongside his career in art, Colombo also studied architecture at the famous Milan Polytechnic, which has produced many of the greatest designers and architects of the 20th and 21st centuries. After graduating in architecture in 1954, Joe Colombo chose to devote himself entirely to a career in design. He took over his family’s business in the engineering industry, where he worked extensively with new materials, designs and the latest production techniques. Soon, Colombo decided to start his own interior design and architecture firm. Over the years he designed products for several giants of Italian design such as Kartell, Alessi and Flexform. He has also designed the Sferico series and Chair 300 for the Danish design brand Karakter.

Design philosophy and innovation

Joe Colombo had a belief in democratic and functional design that can be used in many different ways to meet the needs of the user. Colombo was ahead of his time when it came to using new materials and innovative production techniques, a skill he probably developed during his time at the family business. Thanks to his modern approach to design, he was able to create futuristic designs that are now considered by many to be true design classics. Among Joe Colombo's most famous creations are the Topo lamp and the Brillio chair, but perhaps most notably the Elda Chair, which he created in 1963. A testament to Colombo's greatness is that many renowned museums have chosen to include his designs in their permanent collections. The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), the Metropolitan Museum of Art (the Met) and The Art Institute of Chicago are just a few examples of respected institutions that have chosen to include Colombo's designs in their collections.