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
