Franco Albini
Franco Albini (1905-1977) is often considered to be the most important of the Italian \”Neo-Rationalist\” designers. After graduating from the Milan Polytechnic in 1929, his work helped herald in a wave of furniture design that successfully combined the new forms of modernism with a more traditional artisanship. Much of his furniture was designed to make use of the inexpensive raw materials available in Italy, in the post war years when other materials were scarce. His work, both in architecture and design, displays a commitment to a rigorous craftsmanship and elegance built on a minimalist aesthetic, unencumbered by extraneous ornamentation.