Architect and designer from Milan, (1930-1971), he studied painting and sculpture at the Fine Arts academy in Brera, and the Milan Polytechnic. After starting his career in the art world, with exhibitions alongside Fontana, Matta, and others (his brother Gianni is also an artist), he became part of the Movimento Arte Concreta in 1959 and threw himself into design. After the death of his father, Colombo took over his electrical appliances company and experimented with new materials such as PVC.

In 1962 he designed the Acrilica lamp for O-luce (Gold Medal at the Milan Triennale) , and designed kitchen units for Boffi, he exhibited at the MoMA in New York during a 1972 show. His Universale chair for Kartell designed in 1965 became a best seller. He was the creator of housing systems that revolutionised traditional concepts of living spaces. He died young, and many of his projects were produced years after his death, many by Ignazia Favata, who currently runs his studio and who recently published a book dedicated to Colombo’s work. In 2005, during the Milan Triennale, a retrospective exhibition was organised − Joe Colombo Inventing the Future − in order to commemorate this polyhedral and visionary artist.