Photographer-designer (1928) - Paris, France
Willy Rizzo only designed furniture for 10 years, up 1968 to 1978.
Rizzo, a great admirer of the sophistication of Mies van der Rohe, Le Corbusier and Ruhlmann, developed a style easily recognizable today. These pieces have simple lines with well defined geometric shapes in materials carefully selected, inlaid in chrome and brass. He always remained faithful to the traditional use of materials suitable for craftsmen, avoiding to get into the system of mass production and plastic that was in the air. The style was first defined by its customers and interior decorating. Comfort, durability and convenience are also important. Thus the modular sofas were covered with skin and luxuriously equipped with a control panel that controls the light and the volume of the stereo. The doors of the apartment opened and closed by slamming in his hands. And the tables were equipped with a bar. As has been said that his photos are beautiful because they have a rare simplicity, we can say that his furniture work well in contemporary settings as they have an elegant simplicity and a purpose. The originality of his furniture comes from its independence designer who never worked or copied, which explains what marking style and so different. Some of his furniture was exhibited in New York at the Metropolitan Museum, most recently at the Mallett Gallery on Madison and London by Paul Smith.
