Cini Boeri, born on 12 June 1924, obtained her degree from the polytechnic university of Milan in 1951. After it, she completed an internship at Giò Ponti’s architecture firm and then spent many years working together with designer Marco Zanuso. She founded her own architecture and design firm in 1963 and attracted special acclaim for her designs such as the “Bobo Lounge” (1967) and potentially endless Serpentone Sofa (1971) for Arflex, which was sold by the metre. Boeri also designed lounge collections and numerous showrooms for Knoll International during the 1970s. What might be her most famous piece of furniture is the Ghost Chair (1987) for Fiam, where she – together with Japanese designer Tomu Katayanagi – succeeded in creating a chair from one 12-millimetre-thick piece of glass.
She was awarded the 1979 Compasso d’Oro for the “Strips” sofa series designed for Arflex, featuring a removable, quilted cover. Boeri’s best-known buildings include the Casa Bunker (1967) and Casa Rotonda (1966/67) in La Maddalena, Sardinia, and the Casa nel Bosco (1969) in Osmate, Varese. Her work can be found in establishments such as the Triennale Design Museum in Milan and MoMA in New York. Together with Gae Aulenti, she was one of the few female Italian designers who reached international success in the post-war era. Cini Boeri passed away at 96 years of age in her house in Milan on 9 September.
