Dominico "Ico" Parisi (1916-1996) was born in Palermo, Italy. He was the son of an art teacher. Parisi called himself a "Renaissance artist," not wanting to be known only as an architect. He was accomplished as an industrial designer, painter, photographer and installation artist as well.
One of his first jobs was as a photographer for Giuseppe Terragni in 1936. In the late 1930s he was a documentary film producer.
In the early 1940s he co-founded an architectural group called Alta Quota. In 1942 he met Luisa Aiani, a pupil of Gio Ponti, who later became his wife.
In 1947 Parisi and his wife Luisa started La Ruota, a studio which specialized in interior design, where they designed some of the most iconic mid-century furniture for companies such as Cassina, M.I.M., Altamira, Longhi, Cappellina and Stildomus. Their collaboration resulted in a catalog of timeless, sophisticated design which has stood the test of time.
