Trained as an architect, Milan-born Vico Magistretti (1920-2006) received a degree from Milan Polytechnic in 1945, then studied with Ernesto Nathan Rogers at Champs Universitaire Halien in Lausanne Switzerland. Initially employed at the urban design studios of Alfred Roth, he moved next to his father's design office in Milan, then opened his own practice and quickly achieved a reputation as both product designer and architect. These products, mostly furniture and lighting produced by stellar partners such as Flos, Kartell, Artemide, Cassina, and Fritz Hansen, are characterized by Magistretti's visible rationalism and emphasis on structure, and his willingness to both re-interpret vernacular forms in generic materials, and to explore modern materials such as plastic in order to best exploit their suitability for mass production. His work has been the subject of numerous museum exhibitions, and has been awarded top prize in design shows over several decades: The Trienalle Gold Medal (1951) and Grand Prix (1954), the Compasso d"Oro in 1967 and again in 1969.