Franco Albini, the subtle Milanese rationalist

Franco Albini (1905-1977) is one of the major 20th-century Italian architect-designers, and one of the figures of the Movimento per l'Arte Razionale. A graduate of the Politecnico di Milano, professor in Venice then Milan, he signed for five decades for Cassina, Poggi and the Italian department store La Rinascente a body of work where structural lightness borders on the impossible. The Veliero bookshelf (1940), his Margherita rattan armchair for Bonacina (1951) and Luisa armchair for Poggi (1955) remain his most iconic pieces.

The Veliero bookshelf, Margherita Bonacina armchair and Luisa Poggi armchair remain Franco Albini's most iconic pieces. Italian vintage furniture to find for those wanting a Milanese rationalist signature, now an absolute design reference.