Boby trolley by Joe Colombo: a nomadic design icon turns 50+

Designed by Joe Colombo in 1970 and produced by B-Line, the Boby trolley has become a design icon, entering the permanent collections of MoMA New York and the Triennale di Milano. The mobile tower features drawers and compartments in ABS, comes in various colors and versions, and is mounted on polypropylene wheels for easy movement. Colombo, who began as a painter and studied architecture at Politecnico di Milano, was part of the Movimento Nucleare with Enrico Baj and Sergio Dangelo, then MIBI, and later MAC at Bruno Munari's invitation. In 1964 he won the gold medal for design at the XIII Triennale for the Acrilica lamp produced by Oluce. His other notable designs include chair no. 4801 for Kartell, the Elda chair, the Tube armchair, the Candy air conditioner, and the Minikitchen for Boffi. Boby was among his last designs, along with the Topo, Colombo, and Triedro lamp collections, before his premature death in 1971.