He was a major figure in the Rationalist Movement, excelling in architectural, furniture, industrial and museum design. After receiving a degree in architecture from the Politecnico di Milano in 1929, he worked with the Ponti and Lancia design studios. His work for the magazine Casabella also played a key part in his development, marking his conversion to the Rationalist Movement and his becoming its spokesman on the Italian cultural scene. When he set up his own practice in Milan in 1931, he took on the challenge of workers’ housing and continued in this vein after the war, thanks to the opportunities offered by the reconstruction projects he worked on with Franca Helg from 1952. In all his work, from home furnishings to industrial and museum design projects, Franco Albini always instilled a logical consistency, an extreme purity of expression and exceptional ethical and historical integrity.

Founded in 1938, Knoll is a global manufacturer of office furnishings dedicated to design excellence. Knoll is committed to offering customers elegantly designed products for office and residential use. Recognised worldwide as a design leader, Knoll is the recipient of hundreds of design awards, with products represented in major art museums around the world. Knoll has more than 30 products included in the Design Collection of The Museum of Modern Art in New York City. The KnollStudio collection of modern classics comprises seating, tables and desks for executive offices and distinguished homes. Developed in collaboration with the world’s leading architects and designers, KnollStudio represents exquisitely designed signature pieces that embody elegance, craftsmanship and emblematic detail.