Paolo Rizzatto was born in Milan in Italy in 1941. After graduating from the Politecnico di Milano in 1965, he initially worked freelance in his own studio as an architect and designer. During this time, he increasingly focused on lighting design, and in 1978 he founded the company Luceplan with Riccardo Sarfatti and Sandra Severi.
As an architect, his projects include a care centre in Segrate (Milan) in 1972, holiday homes on Formentera in Spain in 1973, a country house in Bazzano (Bologna) in 1976, a retirement home in Galliate (Novara) in 1986 and the Luceplan headquarters and factory in Milan in 1997.
Paolo Rizzatto's clients include major, renowned manufacturers such as Arteluce, Artemide, Luceplan, Alias, Cassina, Flos, Nemo, Molteni, Knoll, Kartell, Philips, Montina, Thonet, Mandarina Duck, Guzzini and Lensvelt.
Rizzatto has also lectured at universities and institutes in New York and St. Louis in the USA, Milan, and Moscow and St Petersburg in Russia.
His objects have been shown in well-known museums and exhibitions, including MoMA, the Louvre and the Milan Triennale.
In addition to Design Plus 1992, the Red Dot Award 1994, the iF Design Award 1996 and the Good Design Award (USA) 1999, Paolo Rizzatto has received the coveted Compasso d'Oro three times (1981, 1989, 1995), as well as various other awards.
