Biography
Domenico, called Ico, Parisi was born in Palermo in 1916. In 1925, he moved to Como with his family, where, having completed an apprenticeship as a technician in construction, then worked in Giuseppe Terragni's architectural office. He was involved in architectural projects and the photographic documentation of Terragni's famous Casa del Fascio. In addition, Parisi worked as a freelance photographer and painter and made several documentary films on aspects of his hometown of Como. In 1940, he was drafted into military service. Discharged from the front in 1943, he resumed his work, organized a furniture fair and began collaborating with the ArteCasa company.
Together with his wife Luisa Aiani, whom he met in 1945, he founded the studio "La Ruota" specializing in interior design, furniture design and art and immediately secured important commissions, including the furnishing of the State Library in Milan in 1947. In the areas of exhibition architecture and interior design, he often worked together with the architect collective 'Alta Quota'. In the years that followed, Parisi and Aiani's studio became an important meeting place for many Italian artists such as Lucio Fontana or Bruno Munari. The couple also shared a close friendship with designer Gio Ponti, Luisa Aiani's former mentor.
In 1949, Ico Parisi designed his first houses and began his career as an architect of private homes and public buildings. The Casa Carcano is the first example of Parisi's desire to combine architecture with artistic projects, employing artists such as the painter Mario Radice and the sculptor Fausto Melotti. In addition to furniture, Parisi and Aiani designed fabrics, glass, ceramics and jewelry for companies such as Cassina, M.I.M, Longhi and Cappelini. The '839 Conca' model (nominated for a Compasso d'Oro in 1955) and - not to forget - the famous '813 Uovo' chair, better known as the 'Egg chair', emerged from the collaboration with Cassina. The seating furniture from the ‘865‘ series, which Ico Parisi designed for Figli di Amedeo Cassina, is also impressive. Quittenbaum was able to successfully auction two armchairs and a sofa from this series, which rarely appear on the market, in 2021.
Ico Parisi's designs impress with their elegant design language, which combines organically curved lines with technical details. When designing, Parisi often limited himself to wood and glass and set accents with small shiny metal elements.
If you would like to auction objects by Ico Parisi, contact our expert for a non-binding estimate.
