Ugo La Pietra

Ugo La Pietra (1938-), a versatile designer and artist, has linked his name above all to the multifaceted experiences of Italian Radical Design. Originally from Abruzzo, during his studies at the Milan Polytechnic he was among the founding members of the artists’ collective known as “Gruppo del Cenobio”, a brief but intense creative experience that marked his adherence to the current of sign painting. His activity would later focus mainly on design, in the academic field (he taught at the Polytechnic from 1964 to 1973, then in Pescara and Monza) and in the popular field (in the 1970s he was the director of various specialized magazines). Awarded in 1979 with the Compasso d’Oro for a bedroom designed for the Arosio Viscardi company, the 1980s were to be his most fruitful period with numerous projects that entered production for brands of a certain importance such as the Busnelli Industrial Group, Zanotta, Poggi and Bernini. He also played a significant role in organizing exhibitions and displays at institutions such as the Venice Biennale and the Milan Triennale. In the following years, his activity thinned out until two important retrospectives (in 2008 at the Mudima Foundation and in 2014 at the Triennale Design Museum) that rekindled interest in his works, leading him to win a Compasso d’Oro in celebration of his career in 2016. Among his creations from more recent years, noteworthy are the fascinating ceramics designed for the Rometti brand.