The mention of the word Italy comes with the creation of glamorous pictures in your head even though you have never visited the place. From the luxurious fashion brands such as Gucci, valentine, Versace and Prada to the mind-blowing manufacturing of automobiles like Ferrari and Maserati, Italy leaves us with one great wonder; is their craft innate or is this just a myth? When we look at the creativity and bold bravado of the Italians it is no lie that the secret behind their great inventions lies in necessity because of their lack of resources such as gold, the iron and silver back in antiquity. Here are five iconic Italians who revolutionized art and design in Italy in the 20th century.

Gio Ponti

The multitalented polymath was an architect-artist and designer. After completion of his academics, he focused on furniture and objects. Later in his life, he was a magazine editor of the Domus magazine, lectured in over 24 countries and also slotted time for poetry and painting. The man has become one of the legendary designers in Italy especially with his notable Pirelli tower in 1956 which acts as a landmark in Millan.

He also designed other building such as the villa plan chart in 1955 and villa Nemanzee in 1960. Also, the one showed how deep he could go in creating radiating contrasting ideas and textures. His diverse experimental nature also led him to the design of the Superleggera chair (super light chair) which a small boy could lift with his pinkie. However, it was extremely strong to hold any grown man.

Achille Castiglioni

Achille, an architect and designer, is greatly renowned in Italy for his wit in creating of household equipment such as lamps and stools. He worked with his brother in design and came up with the astonishing yet impressive Acro lamp in 1962. The idea behind it had a lamp in the room without making a hole in the ceiling, and this led to making a shade the shape of a chrome ball suspended seven feet from its base. The lamp is still in production today. He invested in irony which led to the Mezzadro tractor-seat chair which is groovy and quite remarkable because of its simplicity yet complicated nature.

Joe Colombo

This legend died prematurely in 1971 at the age of 41. However,  his works are milestones in the world of design. He won dozens of awards in the 1960s such as the gold compass, 3 medals at XIII Triennale and even the international design award in Chicago. His principal works include the portable storage system. These were like a modern made cabinet with an intricate design of a painter in it. He also developed numerous ideas for furniture, clocks, wristwatches, lamps and even doorknobs.

Gae Aulenti

Being the only lady on the list, Gae was not only prolific in designing but an innovative genius. She was famous for her talents in museums and planning exhibitions. She also got jobs in the design of showroom for fiat and opera. The most outstanding of her works primarily as a woman in the post-war era was the transformation of Gare d’Orsay railway station in Paris in 1981.

Ettore Sottsass

The history of the 20th century cannot be narrated without mentioning of Ettore Sottsass. His name blends with his notable work of the Olivetti portable typewriter. The master also created the shell of the Olivetti mainframe computer and another thing that simplified living. He believed in minimalism.

For most of the designers mentioned, it impossible to pin down their achievement in such a short paper. However, from what they did their work of art will continue living through generations of Italy and the whole world. We have ensured you get a glimpse into their world of creation and fall in love with art as they did.