A German designer of Italian and Polish descent, Luigi Colani is famous in Japan as the "Leonardo da Vinci of the 20th century." But where does this fame and exceptional status come from? A look back at this genius designer.[caption id="attachment_8145" align="aligncenter" width="615"]
© en.grund.cz[/caption]Luigi Colani was born in Germany in 1928. His student background testifies to his curiosity for the arts and sciences: he studied painting and sculpture in Japan and then became interested in aerodynamics, which he studied at the prestigious Sorbonne University in Paris. He pursued his professional career in this field since during the 1950s, he designed the aerodynamics of automobiles of major manufacturers such as BMW, Alfa Romeo, Fiat, Lancia but also Ferrari. At the same time, the brilliant Colani worked for the aviation industry and in particular Boeing and Rokwell.[caption id="attachment_8142" align="aligncenter" width="434"]
BMW 700 (1963) © io9.gizmodo.com[/caption][caption id="attachment_8143" align="aligncenter" width="547"]
Ferrari Testa d'Oro (1989) © io9.gizmodo.com[/caption]Colani is interested in design as a whole, and extends his fields of expertise to furniture, kitchens, pens, eyewear, clothing and even trains. He focuses his approach on form and use and then invents what is called bio-design, a technique that draws inspiration from nature to address design issues.
The "design messiah", as he is called in Japan has decided on pieces with remarkable precision and in perfect harmony with their environments. You only have to look at his creations to see this:[caption id="attachment_8141" align="aligncenter" width="638"]
Flötotto desk | "Garden Party" chair | UFO hanging lamp[/caption]Luigi Colani is a talented designer who has profoundly impacted design; without him bio-design would not exist.
Discover Luigi Colani's vintage pieces available on Design Market
