Tacchini Design Classics Design Classics Authors Products Achille and Pier Babela 03 Giacomo Castiglioni Sancarlo 11 Gianfranco Frattini Agnese 18 Gio 42 Giulia 36 Lina 48 Oliver 44 Sesann 26 Carlo De Carli Sella 50 Martin Eisler Costela 57 Reversível 62 Umberto Riva E63 67 Tacchini Re–Editions Design Classics (Eng) Maestri or “masters” are those charismatic figures capable of teaching and handing down an art through their direct actions and also through the inheritance of their actual works. In design the maestri communicate through the classics, timeless designs far from any idea of fashions and trends yet so powerful as to produce a style naturally. Tacchini has set aside some rooms in its living environment for the classics and the masters who have designed them, in a process of revivals which are a challenge and a lesson on contemporary style. “If you are not curious, forget it.” Achille Castiglioni (Eng) I maestri sono quelle figure carismatiche, capaci di insegnare e trasmettere un’arte: attraverso il proprio agire diretto, ma anche nel lascito delle loro opere stesse. Nel design, i maestri parlano attraverso i classici: progetti senza tempo e fuori da qualsiasi logica di mode e tendenze, ma talmente potenti da determinare naturalmente uno stile. Tacchini ha riservato alcune stanze del suo abitare ai classici e ai maestri che li hanno disegnati, in un percorso di riedizioni che sfida e insegna alla contemporaneità. 01 (Eng) Starting from the avant-garde artistic (Ita) A partire dalle avanguardie artistiche del Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni groups of the last century, Italian design secolo scorso, il design italiano continua (Eng) The hero of Italian design, Achille Castiglioni, along with is an endless source of inspiration for a ispirare movimenti, espressioni e modi his brothers Pier Giacomo and Livio, was able to find irony and movements, expressions and ways of d’essere che trovano nella linea italiana beauty into the simplicity of everyday life. From the simplest being. They find the Italian line into the la manifestazione più autentica della electrical switches to the most iconic project of modern design, authentic manifestation of the culture cultura del progetto. Qual è, dunque, Castiglioni brothers transformed their uncontrollable curiosity of project. What is, then, the secret of il segreto del design italiano? Dove si in a series of timeless pieces. Tacchini proposes the revival Italian design? Where does its timeless nasconde il suo intramontabile spirito che of two famous pieces of Achille Castiglioni, realized inside spirit hide: a spirit that keeps on driving tutt’oggi continua a guidare l’evoluzione a larger project dedicated to the reproduction of classics of the evolution of the discipline? From della disciplina? Dalla fiducia in un futuro modern design. Babela, designed in 1958 along with his brother the confidence in a better future to migliore al rigore tecnologico; dalla Pier Giacomo, and Sancarlo, created for the first time in 1970, the technological precision; from the volontà di sperimentare e mettersi sum up the spirit of the period joining the formal experimentation willingness to experiment and get involved in gioco all’inimitabile coerenza formale, to technical innovation. to the inimitable formal coherence, the la linea italiana rappresenta l’espressione 1. From the simplest electrical switches to the most iconic project Italian line is the material expression of materiale di un pensiero collettivo, of modern design, Castiglioni brothers transformed their uncontrollable curiosity a collective thought, shared among the condiviso all’unanimità tra i più importanti in a series of timeless pieces. 2. Babela (1958), technical drawing. most important figures of that period. protagonisti dell’epoca. Pier Giacomo Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni, e Achille Castiglioni, Carlo De Carli, Carlo De Carli, Umberto Riva e Gianfranco Umberto Riva e Gianfranco Frattini fanno Frattini belong to this group of enlightened parte di questo gruppo di progettisti designers of the last century. They illuminati del secolo scorso che hanno shared ideas, thoughts and hopes for the condiviso idee, pensieri e speranze per la discipline of design. They were able to disciplina progettuale, unendo il saper-fare combine the manual know-how, related manuale – caratteristico della produzione to the industrial production of belpaese industriale del belpaese – all’ingegno with the technical science. Their hope was tecnico, con la speranza di trasportare to translate the myth of the Italian “good il mito del ‘buon design’ italiano nella design” into everyday reality. Today, half realtà di tutti i giorni. Oggi, mezzo 1 a century after their creation, the projects secolo dopo la loro creazione, i progetti 2 realized by these great masters of the realizzati da questi grandi maestri del past continue to keep alive the soul of passato continuano a rendere viva l’anima the Italian line through a series of revivals della linea italiana attraverso una serie (Ita) L’eroe del design italiano, Achille Castiglioni, assieme ai made by Tacchini. Tacchini proposes these di riedizioni realizzate da Tacchini, con suoi fratelli Pier Giacomo e Livio, ha saputo trovare l’ironia e la pieces with the desire to preserve and la volontà di preservare e comunicare gli bellezza nella semplicità della vita di tutti i giorni. Dai più banali communicate the ideals that have guided ideali che hanno guidato la loro creazione. interruttori elettrici ai progetti più iconici del design moderno, their creation. Maintaining the integrity Mantenendo l’integrità dei progetti i fratelli Castiglioni hanno trasformato la loro incontrollabile of the original projects, Tacchini has originali, Tacchini ha adattato i disegni curiosità in una serie di artefatti senza tempo. Tacchini propone adapted the designer’s drawings to modern dei designer alla produzione odierna, la riedizione di due famosi pezzi di Achille Castiglioni, realizzati production. In this way, it has transferred trasportando la cultura del design dal all’interno di un più ampio progetto dedicato alla riproduzione the past design culture to the present. passato alla contemporaneità. dei classici del design moderno. Babela, disegnata nel 1958 assieme al fratello Pier Giacomo, e Sancarlo, che vede luce per la prima volta nel 1970, riassumono lo spirito dell’epoca unendo la sperimentazione formale all’innovazione tecnica. 02 03 Design Classics 3. Achille Castiglioni in studio (photograph G. Widmer). Tacchini Re–Editions 4, 5. Babela, historical pictures. 4 3 5 There are designs which are born classics in name only. Babela is one of those designs “A piece of design is the result of the joint effort of many people with different and specific and one of those names. In 1958 Achille Castiglioni designed this small armchair to add technical skills, industrial, commercial and aesthetic. The designer’s work is the to the furniture of the Milan chamber of commerce. Comfort meets form and function which expressive synthesis of this collective effort. The main feature of a project is based on is revealed in the possibility of stacking this seat up like a tower. Its design was simple the relationship among several operators: from the manager to the last worker.” and archetypical, with a particular mixture of materials, visual texture and tactile effects. 04 05 (cat. Low Table), base T02 White, top T57 top White. T02 White, base Table), Low (cat. Split (cat. Chair) designed by Achille + Pier Giacomo Castiglioni (1958), base T46 White. Babela Shown with: 06 Babela and Sancarlo (Eng) Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni designed Babela, a stackable chair, for the Milan chamber of commerce. They imagined a tower made by seats, stackable and easily transportable. Its design was simple and archetypical, with a particular mixture of materials, visual texture and tactile effects. On the other hand, Sancarlo, plays with rounded and organic shapes to allow a flexible seat, and, at the same time, suitable to the comfort of person. 6, 7. Achille Castiglioni and Diabolo (photograph H. Findletar) (cat. Table), base T03 Grey, top T53 Grey. top Grey, T03 base Table), (cat. Nastro (cat. Chair) designed by Achille + Pier Giacomo Castiglioni (1958), base T43 Dark Walnut. 6 7 Babela Shown with: (Ita) Per Babela, una sedia impilabile disegnata in origine per la Camera di commercio di Milano, Achille e Pier Giacomo Castiglioni immaginano una torre fatta di sedute, facilmente trasportabili e impilabili, caratterizzata da un design lineare e archetipico, reso interessante da una particolare interazione tra materiali, texture visive ed effetti tattili. Sancarlo, dall’altro lato, gioca con forme organiche e tondeggianti per costruire una seduta flessibile e adattabile alle esigenze del corpo umano. 08 09 Design Classics 9. Sancarlo, drawings. Tacchini Re–Editions 8, 10. Sancarlo, re-edition by Tacchini (2010). “My method is to take out, again and over again, until I will find the main design component. The minimum sign, the minimum shape, required by the function. I want to get to say: less than this I can’t do it.” 9 8 10 Achille Castiglioni 10 11 (Eng) The Castiglioni studio was established in 1938 by brothers Livio and Pier Giacomo, while for certain projects, Luigi Caccia Dominioni also worked alongside them. In 1944 Achille joined the studio: the partnership between the three brothers continued until 1952, when Livio set up on his own, while continuing to work with Pier Giacomo and Achille for some special projects. Achille and Pier Giacomo worked together without any clear division of roles, but with equal participation, and constant discussion and exchange of ideas. This collaboration continued until Pier Giacomo died in 1968. Achille continued to work in the same way as he always had done with his brother, and indeed it is almost impossible to detect any difference in his approach to projects, other than the natural social and technological changes that came about with the evolving times. 11. Sancarlo (Armchair), historical picture. (cat. Low Table), base T44 Light Walnut, top T34 Shiny Biancone Marble Ruler (cat.