Gianfranco Frattini (1926 - 2004) was born in Padua, Italy.  He graduated from Milan Polytechnic with a degree in Architecture in 1953 and joined Gio Ponti's studio. As early as 1954, thanks to Ponti, he began working with Cesare Cassina, who would always remain an important person to him.  He was one of the founders of ADI and was involved in the management of the Triennale di Milano on several occasions.  He opened his own design studio in Milan, initially with Franco Bettonica.  He worked with numerous companies in the field of furniture and lighting design including Bernini, Arteluce, Knoll and Artemide, for whom he and Livio Castiglioni designed the iconic, award-winning Boalum lamp.  Frattini won numerous prestigious design awards throughout his career; his designs are included in the permanent collections of museums throughout the world.  Many of his designs are still in production or have been reissued by several manufacturers including Acerbis, Artemide, Cassina, Poltrona Frau, and Tacchini.