ICO PARISI

Ico Parisi (1916-1996)

 

Born in Palermo in 1916, Ico Parisi was raised in Como where he first studied construction before joining one of the masters of Rationalism, Giuseppe Terragni.

There he could learn and shape his aesthetics. Parisi notably made a photographic architectural study for the magazine Quadrante centered on Terragni’s famous building, the Casa del Fascio.

In 1947, Parisi married Luisa Aiana, a student of Gio Ponti at the Politecnico in Milan. Together they founded the studio La Ruota dedicated to architectural and design practice.

Ico Parisi was very influential in the 50s, his functional yet elegant furniture design mixing wood and metal work. He was awarded the Gold Medal at the Milan Triennial X for the Padiglione Soggiorno with Silvio Longhi and Luigi Antonietti.

Through the 50s and 60s, Parisi created many furniture and lights for important manufacturers.

For MiM he designed the Terni desk, the Lerici bookshelves. For Cassina he created the 865 sofa and lounge chairs. He worked also with Arteluce, Singer & Sons or Fratelli Rizzi.