Born in Italy in 1927, Gaetana Aulenti (known as Gae Aulenti) graduated in architecture in 1954 from the Milan Polytechnic, where she later taught. She designs furniture and lighting, and is involved in the interior design of numerous hotels and museums, including the Musée d'Orsay in Paris, the Centre Georges Pompidou, and in Barcelona, where she refurbished the Palacio Nacional de Montjuic as the Meseo de l'Arte Catalana. An architect of international renown in the 1980s, Gae Aulenti also works as an editor and graphic designer for Casabella Conitunuita and teaches in schools around the world. She exhibited at the Milan Triennale, where she won numerous prizes. Her work is as varied and comprehensive as his personality. She excelled in all aspects of design, and in 1987 was awarded the Légion d'Honneur by François Mitterrand. One of its most famous works is the Pipistrello lamp for Martinelli Luce, considered a design classic, which takes pride of place in many galleries around the world with its particularly original bat-like shape that diffuses a soft, warm light.
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FONTANA ARTE
Luigi Fontana was founded in Milan in 1881 and specialised in the production of glass panels for the construction industry.
In 1931, the FontanaArte brand was born and achieved instant success, with the 0024 pendant light by Gio Ponti, who was artistic director of FontanaArte at the time. The Bilia table lamp followed with its timeless design thanks to the perfect balance of its dimensions and the understated elegance of the non-reflective materials used. FontanaArte installed a new oven - the only one in Italy - designed to produce glass panels of all curvatures, in order to inject new momentum into the production of prestigious furnishings.