Ico Parisi

Ico Parisi

Ico Parisi (1916–1996) was an Italian architect and designer who is considered one of the most influential figures in post-war Italian design. He spent the majority of his life the city of Como, from where he created a diverse, interdisciplinary oeuvre.

Parisi trained in construction from 1931 to 1935 and, from 1935 onward, worked in the studio of architect Giuseppe Terragni. As early as 1936 he documented Terragni's famous Casa del Fascio photographically for the magazine Quadrante. In addition to his early involvement with architecture, Parisi also devoted himself to film—for example, with the experimental work Como+Como+Como (1937)—and was a co-founder of the artist group Alta Quota.

After completing his military service he founded Atelier La Ruota in Como in 1948 together with his wife, the designer Luisa Aiani. There, they designed furniture for renowned manufacturers such as Cassina, M.I.M., Altamir, Longhi, and Cappellini. In addition to furniture, they also created ceramics, glass objects and jewellery. Parisi undertook significant interior design projects for the Milan State Library and the 1948 Triennale, often in collaboration with artists such as Mario Radice, Fausto Melotti, and Umberto Milani. In 1950, he completed his architecture studies at the Atheneum in Lausanne and joined the Associazione per il Disegno Industriale in 1956.

Heavily influenced by his friend Gio Ponti, Parisi pursued the idea of ​​"working together," or creative collaboration. In the 1970s, he created interdisciplinary projects such as "Ipotesi per una Casa Esistenziale" (1972), in which architecture and art intertwine. In 1978 he presented his "Utopia" series at the Venice Biennale. From the 1980s onward, performative works and media criticism came to the fore, including contributions to documenta urbana in Kassel (1982) and the exhibition "Les années 50" at the Centre Pompidou (1988).

Parisi's work has been exhibited widely, including at the Milan Triennale, the Venice Biennale and in galleries in Rome, Paris, Berlin, and Como. A retrospective in Milan entitled "Ico Parisi: l'Officina del possibile" honored his work as a "workshop of the possible" – an expression of his tireless spirit of inquiry and interdisciplinary approach.

One of his most famous design objects is the "Palpebra" table lamp for Cassina, which demonstrates his sense of form, function, and poetic expressiveness.