Biography
Carlo Bugatti, famous for his extraordinary and oriental furniture, was born on 16 February 1856 in Milan. His father, Giovanni Luigi Bugatti, produced monumental fireplaces for Milan mansions and also worked as an engineer and inventor. At the age of eighteen, Carlo Bugatti began studying architecture at the Milan Academy. A little later, he enrolled at the Ecole de Beaux Arts in Paris. From the beginning he cultivated a very own artistic style, which also manifested in his clothing. He favored a kind of overall, over which he pulled a long frock coat, of which the stand-up collar was held together with cat's eye buttons on a gold chain.
Around 1870, the preference for oriental culture, architecture and ornaments became apparent in the European arts and crafts and furniture design. Especially Englishmen appreciated this 'glorious style' because it was 'rich and cheerful'. Carlo Bugatti drew inspiration for his furniture designs from the entire repertoire of the cultures of the Orient. His designs were based on works from India, Persia, China and Japan. In his Milan workshop at Via Castelfidardo 6, the first pieces of furniture were created, such as a complete bedroom piece, intended as a wedding present for his younger sister Luigia, who married the painter Giovanni Segantini in 1880. In the same year Carlo Bugatti married Thérèse Lorioli (1862-1935), with whom he had three children. The daughter Déanice and the sons Rembrandt and Ettore, who also became successful and famous as sculptors and car makers.
Read more ...Read less ...
