Architect and designer Paolo Gatti dies at 77

Paolo Gatti, the architect and designer best known for co-creating the iconic Sacco beanbag chair, died at age 77. His funeral was held on April 14. Gatti, together with colleagues Piero Paolini and Franco Teodoro, presented the Sacco to manufacturer Aurelio Zanotta, who recognized its radical break from traditional seating. The chair, filled with high-resistance expanded polystyrene beads, eliminated fixed seat and backrest, becoming a transportable, adaptable volume. It won the Compasso d'Oro in 1970 and gained cult status after appearing in the film 'Fracchia la belva umana' with Paolo Villaggio. Born in Turin, Gatti lived in Milan before settling in Maremma, Grosseto. He worked in architecture, photography, and graphic design, and with Paolini and Teodoro also handled product development and art direction for Gruppo Abet Laminati.