Ico & Luisa Parisi Biography
Italian husband and wife Ico and Luisa Parisi design together in their studio La Ruota in Como, Italy, and their work embodies the modern Italian style of the 1950s; the pair created many classic design pieces together, the most famous perhaps being the Model 813 Uovo chair for Cassina (1951). Born in 1916 in Palermo, the architect-designer Domenico "Ico" Parisi trained in the construction world in Como between 1931 and 1935, and the following year worked in the studio of the rationalist architect Giuseppe Terragni in Como, marking thus the beginning of his professional career - which, at the end of the 1930s, also briefly had to do with the world of cinema. Returning to his initial vocation, design, Ico is one of the founding members of two groups of architects: Alta Quota and Gruppo Como. In 1947 he married fellow designer Luisa Aiani, the talented former pupil of Gio Ponti. Also a member of Alta Quota, the two founded their studio La Ruota together in Como in April 1948. Between 1949 and 1952 Parisi studied architecture under the guidance of Alberto Sartoris at the Institute Athenaeum in Lausanne, Switzerland, and in 1952 he became a member of the Art Club of Milan, and in 1956 of the Association for Industrial Design (ADI). Parisi designed many interiors, furniture (especially wood and metal), glass, jewelry, and architectural projects, both alone and with Luisa. Their studio was a meeting point for collaborations between established artists and rising designers. Their clients include: Singer & Sons, Altamira, MIM, Longhi, and Cassina. Ico, in collaboration with architects Silvio Longhi and Luigi Antonietti, designs the living room pavilion for the tenth Milan Triennale. Taking the shape of a circus tent, the reinforced concrete and glass walls formed a spiral-shaped living room. Parisi and his team then dedicated the space to a common place with library and bar. Cited in the prestigious Domus magazine, the Parisi are celebrated for their organic designs and interiors. As is known, the Parisi's friend, Gio Ponti, wrote to Ico to tell him: "My dear, your Uovo chair is wonderful. You are a master, and all that remains for me to do is retire to live in Civate [near Como] into oblivion," The couple's collaboration with Cassina was very fruitful, bringing to light many famous designs including the Model 691 (1955) and Model 839 chairs, which were both nominated for the Compasso d'Oro in 1955. Luisa Parisi dies in 1990; Ico six years later in Como.
