Cooper Hewitt says...
Born in Padua in 1926, Gianfranco Frattini studied architecture at Milan Polytechnic from 1946-53. He was a studio apprentice to his teacher and mentor architect Giò Ponti in the early 1950s. After earning his architecture degree he opened a practice in Milan, initially with architect-designer Franco Bettonica. Frattini first entered the field of industrial design in order to create furnishings and lighting for his commissioned interiors.
Frattini met Cesare Cassina, a co-founder of furniture manufacturer Cassina S.p.A., through Ponti, and began a collaboration with the firm in 1954, which would last over 30 years. This would be followed by collaborations designing furniture and lighting for notable manufacturers including Bernini, Arteluce, Fantoni, Artemide, Knoll, and Lema. Frattini participated in many design and trade expositions, several of his projects winning prizes. He also cofounded L’Associazione per il Disegno Industriale in 1956, a forum for designers, producers, and design educators, critics, journalists, and researchers.
Throughout his career, Frattini’s designs achieved recognition for their integration of organic form, rationality, and technical clarity. His furniture and lighting designs are in the permanent collections of design and decorative art museums throughout the world, including The Museum of Modern Art, New York. In addition, several of his seating and case furniture designs are still in production or have been reissued by Cassina and Poltrona Frau.
