Of eclectic personality, from the beginning exerts its activity in the field of the architecture, of the painting, the graph and the scenery.
He obtained his bachelor's degree in Architecture at the Polytechnic of Milan in 1920. From 1923 to 1930 he worked as artistic director of Richard-Ginori.
In 1926 he founded - together with the editor Gianni Mazzocchi - the magazine Domus, which he will direct until his death. In 1931 he is proposed to assume the artistic direction of Luigi Fontana and in 1932 - together with Pietro Chiesa - founds FontanaArte.
He is one of the promoters of the Compasso d'Oro Prize and one of the founders of the Industrial Design Association (ADI). He is the director of the Milan Triennale and teaches at the Polytechnic of Milan.