Isao Hosoe
(Tokyo, March 8 1942- Milano, 3 October 2015). Got his Bachelor of Science (1965) and Master of Science (1967) in Aerospace Engineering from the Nihon University of Tokyo with the project “The Man Powered Aircraft”. He moved to Milano in 1967.
He collaborated with Arch. Alberto Rosselli of the Studio Ponti-Fornaroli-Rosselli from 1967 to 1974.
Member of A.D.I. (Italian Association of Industrial Designers), of S.I.E. (Italian Society of Ergonomics), of the Japan Design Committee and of the Japan Interior Design Forum.
Professor of Industrial Design at the Politecnico of Milan and at the Università degli Studi, La Sapienza of Rome.
He was a lecturer in different institutes: Domus Academy, University of Siena, I.S.I.A. of Florence, Les Ateliers of Paris, Elisava of Barcelona, RISD of Providence, University of Lisbon.
Among the prizes he received there are several Compassi D’Oro, SMAU prizes, the Biennial of Industrial Design at Ljubljana, a Gold Medal at the Triennale di Milano, Office Design Orgatechnik ’88, and Forum Design, Milan ’88, the Red Dot for High Design Quality, the IF awards Design Innovations at the Design Zentrum Nordrhein Westfalen, Good Design Award Tokyo ’88, awards from the I.D. Annual Design Review ‘95, ‘96 and The Good Design Award ’95, ‘96 at the Chicago Athenaeum.
He held five personal exhibitions: in 1983 at the Design Gallery, Matsuya, Tokyo; in 1987 at the Design Concern Gallery, Seattle (U.S.A.); in 1988 at the Itoki Gallery, Tokyo; in 1990 at the Seibu Creator’s Gallery, Tokyo; in 1990 at the Design Gallery, Matsuya, Tokyo. He also participated in numerous collective exhibitions in Italy and abroad. In April 1990 with the Domus Academy, he organized the exhibition “Work Encounters: Domesticity in the Office” held at the Triennale of Milan.
Some of his works have been selected for permanent collections at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, at the Centre Pompidou in Paris, at The Chicago Athenaeum, at the Museum of Science and Technology in Milan and at the Triennale of Milan.
Coauthor of the book “PLAYOFFICE”, published in 1991 by the G.C. Press of Tokyo.
In 2008 began to collaborate with Loccioni creating Play Factory and was coauthor of the game of cards Play 40, published by Corraini.
He has worked as a designer with several major companies such as: Arflex, Bisazza, Belli e Forti, Bosch Telecom, Cassina, Fiat, Fujitsu, Itoki, Iveco, Japan Rail West, Kale group, Loccioni, Luxit, Mitsubishi, Philips, Piaggio, Sacea, Gruppo Sacmi, Segis, S.N.C.F., Steelcase Strafor, Tiffany, Tonelli, 3M, Valenti e Zanussi.