On May 18, Cesare Maria Casati passed away in Milan. An architect, designer, and a leading figure in the field of architectural and design criticism in Italy, Casati played a prominent role in over half a century of design history, making a significant contribution to the dissemination of architectural culture through publishing, teaching, and the curatorship of international events.
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In 1965, he was invited by his mentor and teacher Gio Ponti to join the editorial team of Domus, one of the most influential international magazines in the field. Working alongside Ponti and his close colleague and dear friend Anna Querci, with whom he shared ideas and vision, Casati helped guide Domus into a new cultural era, renewing its perspective on the world of architecture and design.
In the years that followed, he directed La Mia Casa and founded l’Arca Edizioni, launching the magazines L’Arca and L’Arca International, which became key platforms for debate on architecture, design, and visual communication.

Elegant and intellectually rigorous, Casati embodied a vision of design as a cultural tool before a technical one—an act of critical inquiry, capable of questioning the present and imagining the future.
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The Anna Querci Foundation and the Museo del Design Lab gratefully remember his intellectual legacy and his generous contribution to shaping a culture of design that is conscious, open, and deeply humanistic.