EXCELLENCE MADE IN ITALY: A PROFILE OF ANGELO MANGIAROTTI

Angelo Mangiarotti is one of the most important Italian architects and city planners, recognized as one of the most influential designers of the 20th century at the international level. Master of architecture, engineering, design, art and sculpture.

Born in Milan in 1921, he graduated in architecture from Milan Polytechnic in 1948 and only a few years after his projects became models in the architecture and design world. In the 50’s he was a professor at the Illinois Intitute of Technology of Design in Chicago and in those years he met Frank Lloyd Wright, Walter Gropius, Mies van der Rohe and Konrad Wachsmann. He continued to follow professorships at several universities including the Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne, the University of Hawaii, the University of Adelaide and the South Australian Institute of Technology in Adelaide. During his long career he received numerous awards and honors including the Prix Domus Formica in 1956, In/Arc Prize in 1962, National Prize Golfo of La Spezia in 1963, AIP Prize in 1972, Prix de la Europèen Construction Métallique in 1979 and a medal of honor and Honorary Diploma in 1986 at the Biennial World of Architecture in Sofia.

In 1959 he made the first version of one of his most famous design objects, the Chair “59” for Italian furniture company Agapecasa. Two years later, he directed his profession and passion to the automotive industry, joining Alfa Romeo as a consultant.
His work as a designer goes hand in hand with the one of architect and urban planner, and ranges from the design and build of factories for many private companies to new housing and infrastructure. In the mid 60’s he realized the lamp “Lesbo” in blown glass for the Italian company Artemide, another icon of Italian design.

Master of infrastructure and urban planning, Mangiarotti realized in Milan Republic Station, Rho Fiera, Certosa, Porta Venezia, Certosa and Rogoredo station. Already in his early work and later in residential and urban ones, Mangiarotti expressed his own thoughts on architecture with a constructive truth, objectivity of materials and techniques, constantly working on the relationship between design and user freedom.

Mangiarotti had a vision of architecture that was sober and functional. Architecture for him was an expression of the artisan’s manual skills on the matter but never at the expense of functionality. He was a complete artist capable of mixing all his skills to create works of profound meaning and ethical, civic and moral value.

He was able to adapt the project to its function, use and characteristics, he highlighted the sensual look of objects through the right choice of materials. Thus, the final project was the result of careful research and interest in industrial processes and artistic expression. A rare example of a professional who was architect, designer and sculptor at the same time.