Joe Colombo

Joe Colombo, pseudonym of Cesare Colombo, was an Italian designer and architect. Born in Milan in 1930, he studied at the Polytechnic University of Milan without ever finishing his studies. He founded the Movimento Nucleare together with Enrico Baj and Sergio Dangelo, and then joined the International Movement for an Imagist Bauhaus and the Movement for Concrete Art. His project The Nuclear City of 1952 summarizes his vision of a new model of the city in layers, with innovative means of transport and infrastructure. Upon his father's death in 1959, Colombo opened an architectural studio with his brother Gianni, with whom he designed the Acrilica lamp (1962), awarded at the 1964 Triennale. He died prematurely at the age of 41 and his studio, carried out by his historical collaborator Ignazia Favata, houses the designer's archive.