Ernesto Gismondi was the founder of the Artemide Group. Sanremo (IM) 12/25/1931 – Milan 12/31/2020 In 1957, he graduated in Aeronautical Engineering from the Polytechnic University of Milan and, in 1959, in Missile Engineering from the Professional School of Engineering in Rome. From the early 1960s, he devoted himself to the design and production of lighting equipment, founding Studio Artemide S.a.s., from which the Artemide Group would develop, together with designer Sergio Mazza. He established himself as an international designer, taking part, as one of the inventors, in the avant-garde “Memphis” movement, which brought about a profound evolution in the design sector both in Italy and worldwide, and designing several successful fixtures for the Group. Over the years, under his leadership, the Artemide Group saw its market share grow and its international reach expand, becoming one of the leading players in the designer lighting sector, a role that earned him major recognition, including the Compasso d’Oro Award for Lifetime Achievement (1994) and the European Design Award (1997). From 1964 to 1984, he was an associate professor of Rocket Engines for Missiles at the Polytechnic University of Milan. He was vice president of ADI – Association for Industrial Design – and held various positions at the Lombardy Industrial Association (Assolombarda), Federmeccanica, Confindustria, the Autonomous Agency of the Milan Trade Fair, and the Ministry of University and Research. He was also a member of the Educational and Scientific Committee of the ISS (Institute of Innovation in Design). (Higher Institute for Artistic Industries/Industrial Design) in Florence, appointed by the Ministry of Public Education, by the COSMIT Arbitration Board (Organizing Committee of the Milan Furniture Fair) and by the CNEL, on the recommendation of the Presidency of the Republic. He taught and took part in numerous workshops, in Italy and abroad, on design and its evolutions, as well as on energy saving applied to lighting. In 2008, he received the Ernst & Young “Entrepreneur of the Year” Award in the Innovation category, and Giorgio Napolitano, President of the Italian Republic, appointed him “Cavaliere del Lavoro”, an Italian honor awarded to leading figures in industry. In 2009, he received the Ernst & Young “Entrepreneur of the Year” Award in the Communication category. In 2018, he won the Compasso d’Oro for Lifetime Achievement, with the following jury citation: “Aerospace engineer, university professor and entrepreneur, in short: a man of multifaceted talent. Founder of Artemide, he immediately uses design processes as a differentiator and, in this long process, encourages and strengthens collaborations with the world of national and international design. A consistent example of how design can be a concrete strategic lever for cultural and economic growth, he has always worked to ensure that Italian design is a virtuous example at an international level”.

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