Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni experimented with new forms, industrial production techniques, and innovative materials while creating furniture for Zanotta. Examples include the Mezzadro stool, designed from a tractor seat, and the iconic lighting fixtures produced by Flos.

They brought a decidedly contemporary approach to the technical challenges of lighting. For the brand, they imagined three absolutely iconic lamps: the ghostly and aristocratic Viscontea, made from a membrane patented by the U.S. Army, stretched over a metal wire frame; Toïo, a floor lamp reduced to its simplest functional expression using a car headlight; and finally, the radiant Arco, with its base in Carrara marble. It is a kind of iconoclastic tribute to Italy’s incomparable artistic heritage.

Until Pier Giacomo’s death in 1968, the Castiglioni’s charismatic design work was honored with eight Compasso d’Oro awards and recognition by MoMA in New York. Their influence continued to infuse Italian design and inspire generations of creators.