Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni

ACHILLE CASTIGLIONI (Milan, 1918 - 2002), and PIER GIACOMO CASTIGLIONI (Milan, 1913 - 1968) for Flos.
"Arco lamp", original design 1962.
Stainless steel and marble base.
Measurements: 240 x 215 cm; 55 cm (base).

The design of the Arco lamp was created in 1962 by architects Achille and Pier Guiacomo Castiglioni, who were trying to create a floor lamp that could be used as a ceiling lamp. The lamp became an icon of the 1960s, inspired by a street lamp. Castiglioni studied architecture at the Politecnico di Milano and graduated in 1937. In that year he began architectural design practices with his brother Livio and Luigi Caccia Dominioni. After World War II, he and Livio worked with his younger brother Achille, who had graduated in architecture in 1944. Much of their work focused on product and exhibition design, but they also undertook a number of architectural projects, including the 1952-1953 reconstruction of the Palazzo della Permanente.