Eugenio Gerli (15 July 1923 – 2 October 2013) was an Italian architect and designer. In an intense working life spanning more than six decades, Eugenio Gerli explored many different areas of his profession. He built villas, apartment blocks, office blocks, factories, banks and stores, and also restored historic buildings. He often completed his works with custom-made interiors and furniture.This diverse range of projects inspired his industrial design and today many have become icons, like the S83 chair, the PS 142 armchair Clamis, the Jamaica cabinet and the Graphis System.
Biography
Eugenio Cesare Gerli was born on 15 July 1923 in Milan; his father Guido (London 1892 - Milan 1987) was an English businessman. His mother Luciana Chiesa was the daughter of Eugenio Chiesa (Milan, 18 November 1863 - Giverny, 22 June 1930).
Eugenio Chiesa, Republican Member of Parliament, from 1922 was firmly opposed to fascism. This caused the family all sort of difficulties, culminating in the exile of Eugenio Chiesa in 1926 and the arrest of Guido, later deported to various concentration camps in Italy.
Eugenio married Marta Somarè daughter of art critic Enrico Somarè and granddaughter of painter Cesare Tallone, forebear of a great family of artists including the painter Guido Tallone, the editor and typographer Alberto Tallone and pianoforte builder Cesare Augusto Tallone.
After an initial two years at the Department of Engineering Eugenio switched to studying Architecture at the Milan Politecnico under Piero Portaluppi and Gio Ponti, both leading architects and designers. (graduated in 1949)
Eugenio Gerli integrated his spatial ideas with innovative solutions for custom-made designed interiors. This philosophy, together with his early studies in Engineering, helped him in the development of models for industrial design
His early work was influenced by the works of Frank Lloyd Wright, Alvar Aalto and Charles Eames .
Eugenio Gerli also loved to create a strong bond between Architecture and visual arts, collaborating with artists like Arnaldo Pomodoro, Lucio Fontana, Blasco Mentor, Pietro Cascella, Guido Somarè.
The Exhibition at the Milan Triennale dedicated to Osvaldo Borsani (held from 16 May 2018- to 16 September 2018, designed by Lord Norman Foster and Tommaso Fantoni) included sixteen works of Architecture and Design by Eugenio Gerli. This paid homage to Gerli's work and represented an important contribution to the rediscovery of this "forgotten Master" (Marco Romanelli).
Eugenio's sons Enrico and Guido, both Architects, joined their father in the Studio in 1977 and worked together on all projects.