Collection: Designers: Joe Colombo

Italian designer Joe Colombo's (1930–1971) diverse career began in fine art, studying painting and sculpture at the Brera Academy of Fine Art in his hometown of Milan. He gravitated toward the avant-garde art scene, becoming part of the Movimento Nucleare (Nuclear Movement) of painters, founded by Sergio Dangelo and Enrico Baj, who, inspired by mounting international anxiety about nuclear war, challenged the boundaries of painting with organic forms. His future-focused vision of intelligent technology and integrated living environments had a revolutionary impact on mid-century design.