De Pas, D’Urbino, Lomazzi
The architecture and design studio De Pas, D’Urbino & Lomazzi was founded by a trio of important Italian designers, known for their innovative chair and armchair designs, which became true icons of pop culture—examples include the inflatable Blow sofa and the kitsch Joe chair. Active in Milan during the 1960s, ’70s, and ’80s, the collective is remembered for its efforts to integrate even the most radical design into everyday life.
In 1966, the studio was founded by architects Jonathan De Pas (1932-1991), Donato D’Urbino (born 1935), and Paolo Lomazzi (born 1936). The three met at the Polytechnic University of Milan, where they studied. The group focused on architecture (both industrial and residential), urban development, and industrial design; in the 1960s and ’70s, they developed a particular interest in creating temporary furniture and buildings incorporating avant-garde materials, ideas, and technologies.
In 2010, their archives were declared “particularly important from a historical perspective” by the Ministry of Culture and were donated to the CASVA in Milan, where they are preserved and accessible. De Pas, D’Urbino, and Lomazzi also contributed to design theory through their theoretical work for the Industrial Design Association.
The studio’s work is admired in museums and exhibitions worldwide, including MoMA and the Brooklyn Museum of Art in New York, the Victoria & Albert Museum and the Design Museum in London, the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris, the Vitra Design Museum in Weil-am-Rhein, and many others.
