Carlo Bugatti, the father of Ettore and Rembrandt Bugatti, was born on 16 February 1856 in Milan. He was the son of the architect and sculptor Giovanni Luigi Bugatti.
He studied at the Brera Academy in Milan and the Académie des Beaux-Arts in Paris. In 1880, he began his career as an architect in Milan. The same year, he married Carlo Bugatti Teresa Lorioli. Their children were Ettore (born 1881), Deanice (born 1883) and Rembrandt (born 1884). The Bugattis’ circle of relatives and friends included major artists. Carlo was friends with, for instance, the composer Giacomo Puccini and the painter Giovanni Segantini, the husband of his sister Luigia.
Carlo Bugatti’s artistic work included ceramics, paintings, silverware and textiles. However, most famous of all were his furniture designs. Influenced by Art Nouveau, Carlo Bugatti developed his own formal style. His work was noteworthy for the use of exotic, highly refined woods and copper, parchment and mother of pearl inlays. The first exhibition of his furniture took place in 1888 at the Fine Arts Fair in Milan. In the summer of that year, his furniture won an honorary award at the international Italian Exhibition in London. Subsequently, Carlo Bugatti’s furniture became famous and was in demand across the globe – the Waldorf Astoria hotel in New York, for example, used it to furnish their Turkish Salon. Following further exhibitions in Amsterdam and Antwerp and reviews in international newspapers, Carlo Bugatti’s furniture won the silver medal at the Paris World Fair – marking the high point of its fame.
In 1904, at the age of 48, Carlo Bugatti sold his Milan studio and moved to Paris, where he worked for Grands Magasins Dufayel and Le Bon Marché. He also produced silver- and bronzeware. Six years later, he left Paris again to set up a new studio in Pierrefonds near Compiègne. From 1914 to 1918, he was the town’s mayor. In 1935, Carlo’s wife Teresa died. Two years later, aged 81, he moved to Molsheim to join his son Ettore.
Carlo Bugatti died in Molsheim in April 1940.
Carlo Bugatti’s artistic work included ceramics, paintings, silverware and textiles. However, most famous of all were his furniture designs. Influenced by Art Nouveau, Carlo Bugatti developed his own formal style. His work was noteworthy for the use of exotic, highly refined woods and copper, parchment and mother of pearl inlays. The first exhibition of his furniture took place in 1888 at the Fine Arts Fair in Milan. In the summer of that year, his furniture won an honorary award at the international Italian Exhibition in London. Subsequently, Carlo Bugatti’s furniture became famous and was in demand across the globe – the Waldorf Astoria hotel in New York, for example, used it to furnish their Turkish Salon. Following further exhibitions in Amsterdam and Antwerp and reviews in international newspapers, Carlo Bugatti’s furniture won the silver medal at the Paris World Fair – marking the high point of its fame.
In 1904, at the age of 48, Carlo Bugatti sold his Milan studio and moved to Paris, where he worked for Grands Magasins Dufayel and Le Bon Marché. He also produced silver- and bronzeware. Six years later, he left Paris again to set up a new studio in Pierrefonds near Compiègne. From 1914 to 1918, he was the town’s mayor. In 1935, Carlo’s wife Teresa died. Two years later, aged 81, he moved to Molsheim to join his son Ettore.
Carlo Bugatti died in Molsheim in April 1940.
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