Ico Parisi

Domenico Parisi, nicknamed Ico, was an Italian architect, designer, photographer and architectural theorist. He was born in Palermo in 1916 but in 1925 moved with his family to Como, a city where he studied and served an apprenticeship at the Terragni studio. His activity, marked by continuous experimentation, was a relentless pursuit in the fields of architecture, art and design. In the latter field, his encounters with Munari and Fontana were crucial and marked his working experience in a profound way. Beginning in the early 1950s, Parisi focused his projects in both architecture and design: he created furniture objects by collaborating with artisans in Brianza, starting from one-off pieces to industrial-level production. He later partnered with companies such as Cassina, producing numerous furnishing objects and decorative art elements with ceramics and glass. In 1954 he was awarded the Gold Medal at the 10th Milan Triennale with his work Padiglione Soggiorno. The pinnacle of his research came between 1974 and 1976 with "Operation Arcevia," the intent to design a small town in the Marche hinterlands. The work was presented at the 76th Venice Biennale and then exhibited at the National Gallery of Modern Art in Rome. He passed away in Como in 1996.