Franco Albini was one of the most important and rigorous Italian architects of the twentieth century, adhering to Italian Rationalism. Born in 1905 in Brianza, he studied architecture at the Politecnico di Milano and started his career working with the great Gio Ponti. Albini left a mark on the history of Italian and international architecture with his multidisciplinary attitude, working in the fields of industrial design, architecture, and urbanism.

He merged traditional Italian craftsmanship with a modernist attitude, creating timeless designs based on a minimalistic aesthetic. The author of masterpieces of 1950s and 1960s Italian design, he was the architect behind the Milan Metro Line 1 underground stations, as well as a writer, editor and university professor. Franco Albini is universally recognised as a master.