A visionary who was far ahead of his time - that is probably the most apt description for a very special personality: an outstanding designer and at the same time a dandy, full of lifestyle and the art of living.
His design was particularly at its peak in the 1960s, mainly in commissioned works. He created designs for numerous well-known brands, some of which are still produced today and are considered design classics - even though his designs were ahead of their time. For him, future living space was flexible and not defined by permanently installed furniture. He developed residential units that could be adapted interactively and multifunctionally to the changing living needs of the users. His "Total Furnishing Unit" consisted of convertible furniture elements that were versatile and ideal for working people who needed mobile furniture - a vision of the future that has now become part of everyday life for us. This revolutionary unit was even exhibited at MoMA in New York. His designer furniture always followed a multifunctional approach, whereby there was always a basic framework to which expansion modules were designed. Colombo liked to rely on plastic production, which was fashionable at the time.
His diverse designs began simply with a table lamp that he developed in 1962 together with his brother Gianni. They used the then new acrylic glass, a thermoplastic material that emits light indirectly. The novelty, later known as "Acrilica", is still produced today by the renowned lighting manufacturer Oluce. This was followed by designs for cars and watches as well as the in-flight service for the airline Alitalia. His best-known clients include companies from A to Z: Abet Laminati, Alessi, Bernini, Boffi, Candy, Kartell, Olivari, Oluce, Progetti, Rosenthal and Zanotta.
Joe Colombo, actually Cesare Colombo, was born on July 30, 1930 in Milan, the first-born son of an electrical salesman. In a time of economic recession, he grew up in extremely modest circumstances, characterized by all kinds of deprivation. This also shaped his later life, in which he was often referred to as a bon vivant and had expensive tastes for food, cars, travel and music. Colombo studied at the Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera in Milan and organized the ceramics exhibition at the X Triennale in 1954. He then studied architecture at the Politecnica. In 1962 he opened his design studio in Milan and quickly became one of the most recognized Italian designers.
After his father's death, Cesare initially took over the electrical business at the age of 29, but immediately began to modernize the business with new manufacturing and materials. This rapid change in business and private life shaped his entire life and probably led to his early death at the age of just 41. He died of a heart attack while taking a walk on his birthday.
