Pierluigi Cerri graduated in Architecture from the Milan Polytechnic. There he was to come back as professor of Semiotic of Architecture, side-by-side with Umberto Eco. A few years later he was co-founder of Gregotti Associati.
Being one of the last representatives of the golden age of Italian design (1960–1980) Cerri's works were naturally guided by great graphic knowledge. They ranged from architecture to large and complex exhibition design. His sign is linked to the design for the Venice Biennale, Ferrari cars exhibitions in Florence, collaborations with the Milan Triennale, the great art exhibitions at Palazzo Grassi in Venice, the exhibition on Italian art at the Centre Pompidou in Paris as well as the unforgettable Alexander Calder exhibition in Turin and Le Corbusier exhibition in Paris.
The richness and complexity of Cerri’s work is illustrated in his last book brilliantly describing some forty exhibit design projects, not only with plenty of photos but with extremely precise final drawings.
Foremost, Cerri has been a major author of editorial projects, collaborator and often creator of new magazines masterfully dedicated to design and architecture.