About Castiglioni

From the mid-fifties the Castiglione brothers actively tried to de-mystify the authority of design and investigate it's boundaries. Marcel Duchamp’s motto ‘it’s the creative act, not the signature of the artist or designer that counts most’ was a mental cornerstone for Achille (1918-2002) and Pier Giacomo (1913-1969). They first drew public attention with ‘colors and forms in today's living space’ an exhibition of proposals for new furniture and lights constructed from everyday parts. Most remarkable were the tractorseat ‘Mezzadro’ chair and the bike saddle of the 'Telephone’ stool. The Castiglione questioned the docile role of furniture and introduced a new ‘conceptual’ design attitude. ‘Luminator’ (1954) was one of the first assemblages consisting of existing elements; a spotlight derived from a car’s headlamp and a tube standing on three iron rods. The design was acknowledged a ‘Compasso d’Oro’ in the yearly competition of Milan. A few years later they produced the now classic ‘Arco’ a masterpiece of elegance balancing on a block of white Carara marble. As the sketches illustrate it was actually meant as a table lamp, not so much part of the seating area in which it usually is shown on photographs. Lamps like Snoopy Arco, Toio, Frisbi and Parents belong to the portfolio of Flos, a company taking good care of the Castiglione heritage. 

Flos has produced a Limited Edition of 1.700 numbered pieces of Snoopy.