Born in 1913 in Milan, Pier Giacomo Castiglioni was a prominent Italian architect and industrial designer. His interest in creativity was largely due to his father's profession as a sculptor. Castiglioni studied architecture at the Polytechnic University of Turin.
After graduating in 1937, he founded a design studio in Milan with his older brother Livio, later joined by his younger brother Achille. Design commissions quickly came from clients around the world and they focused on urban planning, architecture and design. Castiglioni was interested in technology and art, experimenting with innovative and new materials to create modern design objects.
After the war, Livio decided to go his own way, leaving Pier with his youngest brother. Together they created design objects, and especially lighting objects that became iconic in modern design. Many of them are now exhibited in museums around the world, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Musée des Arts Decoratifs in Paris.
Pier was considered the intellectual equal of his brother Achilles. Together they create objects that combine technical innovation with minimalism, resulting in a range of design objects that are as practical as they are aesthetically beautiful.
Two of Castiglioni’s outstanding lighting designs are the Taccia and Taraxacum lamps. Castiglioni was awarded numerous prizes, including the prestigious Compasso d’Oro six times. The Castiglioni brothers not only influenced the younger generation of Italian designers through their designs, but also by educating the next generation. In 1946 Castiglioni returned to the Polytechnic University to teach design. Before Castiglioni’s death in 1968, he served on several design committees, such as the jury for La Triennale of Milan, and curated several design exhibitions in Europe. Today, Pier Giacomo Castiglioni's lighting designs and furniture are produced by the Italian companies Flos, Arredoluce and Artemide.
