Artist, designer, artisan, the Milanese Master of Arts and Crafts condenses all his facets through his creative passion
Who has the opportunity to step into the atelier home of Gianluca Pacchioni swears it is a magical experience. Thanks to his mastery in forging, he seems to bring metal to life in enormous sculptures. A passion that he discovered almost by chance.
Born in Milan in 1966, Pacchioni moved to Paris in the 1990s after graduating in economics and business studies at Bocconi University. In the French capital, he fell in love with a bohemian girl who had many acquaintances in the art world. She introduced him to the entourage of Les Frigos, at 91 Quai de la Gare one of the symbols of the Parisian art scene in the 1990s. There, he had an epiphany and was overcome with a passion for sculpting metals, experimented, and self-taught, in the studio shared with other artists. Those experiments gained him his fame and popularity and eventually found their place with the first collection of sculpture furniture in iron shown by the Vivendi gallery in Place des Vosges.
In Paris, Pacchioni had an epiphany and was overcome with a passion for sculpting metals, experimented, and self-taught, in the studio shared with other artists
When he returned to Milan, Pacchioni opened his workshop/atelier/home in a 1930s eyedrop factory, very close to the city center. In this context, he began combining his ideas with the flexibility, experience, and creativity of Italian artisans. This relationship with the material and with artisans led to his leap from designer to homo faber. Since then the workshop has constantly forged limited editions of furniture and sculptures for art-lovers from all over the world. Also, in time, the atelier turned into a universe inhabited by gigantic sculptures in metal and stone marked by Pacchioni’s unique style. Exploration is ongoing and there has been a move from iron to stainless steel, bronze, brass, and aluminum, to experimental techniques with liquid metals.
In 2014, following an exhibition, one of his works was permanently exhibited as a symbol of Italian savoir-faire, at the entrance hall of the Italian Embassy in Paris. While in 2016 he was awarded the title of “Master of Arts and Crafts” by the prestigious Fondazione Cologni.