Biography

“I’m a photographer who makes furniture”. With these words, Willy Rizzo (1922-2013) asserted that he was not a designer. A friend of the jet set and Hollywood high society, passionate about his work, he was one of the most fashionable photographers of his day. His success as a designer was fortuitous: “I needed to furnish my new house in Rome, and I couldn’t find anything I liked. I didn’t like either the psychedelic trend of the moment or Scandinavian design. So I decided to design it myself. What started out as a small, rather “amateurish” enterprise soon turned into a thriving business. Rizzo’s designs soon found their way into the homes of Salvador Dali, Brigitte Bardot, Otto Preminger and Vincent Minelli, to name but a few. Willy Rizzo loved the simplicity and purity of rationalism, and was strongly inspired by the aesthetics of the Bauhaus. Guided by his photographic eye, he sought visual harmony of form and materials. His creations had to have a contemporary touch and be adaptable to any home.

To know more, please click on this Wikipedia link, in French.