Ernesto Gismondi was the founder of
Artemide Group.
In 1957 he gained a degree in Aeronautical
Engineering at the Milan Polytechnic and in
1959 he gained a degree in Missile Engineering
at the Professional School of Engineering in
Rome.
Since the early ‘60s he has been devoting
to the planning and production of lighting
equipment, founding Studio Artemide S.a.s.,
from which the Artemide Group was to
develop, together with designer Sergio
Mazza. He became established as an
international designer, participating, as one
of the inventors, in “Memphis”, and designing
various successful appliances for the Group.
Over the years, under his guidance, the
Artemide Group saw its market share grow
and its international reach increase, making it
one of the main players in the design lighting
sector, a role that earned him important
acknowledgements.
In 2018 he won the Compasso D’Oro for
Lifetime Achievement with the following
motivation of the jury: “Aerospace engineer,
university lecturer and entrepreneur, in
short: man of multifaceted talent. Founder
of Artemide, he immediately uses design
processes as a distinctive factor and in this
long process encourages and enhances
collaborations with the world of national and
international design. A coherent example of
how design can be a concrete strategic lever
for cultural and economic growth, it has
always worked so that Italian design can be
a virtuous example at an international level”.
Ernesto Gismondi
Author
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