Over time, the radiofonografo has captured the attention and admiration of artists, creatives, and designers from different generations, who have recognized its cultural value, symbolic power, and ability to inspire ever-new visions.
It is this evocative strength, suspended between form and function, that still makes it a contemporary object today: alive, and open to dialogue with both art and time.
Brionvega celebrates the 60th anniversary of the radiofonografo designed by the Castiglioni brothers with a chromatic tribute by Elena Salmistraro
Read the full story
History
An icon of Italian design since 1965
In September 1965, Brionvega revolutionized the design world with the radiofonografo designed by Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni: a complete stereo system, innovative and astonishing both in form and function.
An object capable of transforming home listening into an aesthetic experience, it is now preserved in the world’s most important museums, from the MoMA in New York to the Triennale Design Museum in Milan.
Sixty years later, the radiofonografo continues to be handcrafted in Italy, in limited numbers, with the same care and respect for the original design that defined its success.
An unbroken legacy: each piece is created with meticulous attention to detail, fidelity to traditional techniques, and a passion for timeless design.
Designers
Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni
Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni were among the undisputed protagonists of 20th-century design. Their approach combined functional rigor, aesthetic sensitivity, and a subtle irony, giving life to objects that are still regarded today as timeless masterpieces.
In 1965, with the Brionvega radiofonografo, the Castiglioni brothers managed to fuse technology and form in an innovative way, creating an object that is not only a listening device but a true piece of everyday art. Their ability to combine functionality, simplicity, and poetry made this project an icon of world design.
Credits: Luciano Ferri
The anniversary edition
To celebrate this important milestone, an exclusive limited edition will be launched in September 2025: sixty numbered pieces, the result of an extraordinary collaboration with Elena Salmistraro, one of the most renowned Italian artists and designers in the contemporary scene. Elena Salmistraro’s contribution focuses on a refined chromatic reinterpretation, designed to highlight the remarkable modernity of the radio-phonograph and open a new chapter in its history.
For the first time, the body of the object is adorned with a delicate shade of green: a tone that evokes nature, renewal, and growth. A symbolic color, capable of transcending eras without losing its freshness. “Green is a profoundly ambivalent and vital color,” explains the artist, “it evokes nature and hope. It is the color of regeneration, and therefore perfect for an object that, while belonging to history, has the grace to remain eternally young.”
The base, once crafted with chrome finishes and typical engravings of the 1960s and 1970s, has been reimagined as a matte black, monolithic, and compact volume. A choice that imparts visual solidity and modernity, balancing the formal and chromatic composition.
The turntable and smoked cover complete the design, creating a visual contrast between the more tactile base and the upper part, light and transparent. The intervention preserves the original’s design strength, projecting it toward new imaginative horizons.
Warning: Undefined array key "title_intro" in /var/www/vhosts/brionvega.stage.idna.it/httpdocs/web/app/cache/acorn/framework/views/66d8ea489922d7c29907fc9843b42c10777151a2.php on line 97
Warning: Undefined array key "text_intro" in /var/www/vhosts/brionvega.stage.idna.it/httpdocs/web/app/cache/acorn/framework/views/66d8ea489922d7c29907fc9843b42c10777151a2.php on line 98
Sixty pieces
Sixty years of history
With this special edition, Brionvega pays tribute to one of its most beloved icons, an object that continues to speak to both the present and the future, also through the language of color.
Produced one by one in Italy, these sixty pieces embody the care, excellence, and vision that have always defined the brand. A tribute to the past, a mark in the present, a companion designed for future generations.
“I had the honor of working on an object that, still today, represents an unsurpassed example of design and ingenuity. From the very beginning, my approach was guided by the utmost respect for the original work: a project that requires neither functional nor formal changes, because it is perfect in its essence.”
— Elena Salmistraro
Warning: Undefined variable $showBannerClub in /var/www/vhosts/brionvega.stage.idna.it/httpdocs/web/app/cache/acorn/framework/views/66d8ea489922d7c29907fc9843b42c10777151a2.php on line 107
