Carlo Bugatti was a prominent Italian designer. Best known for his associations and contributions to the Art Nouveau movement, Bugatti's most recognizable work is his furniture, often composed of natural materials like wood, parchment, vellum, and copper. These pieces are usually heavily decorated with organic accoutrement, such as tassels, painted motifs, and woven fabric. Born into a prominent family of artists, designers, and architects in Milan, Italy on February 2, 1856, Bugatti studied at the Académie des Beaux-Arts in Paris in 1875 before beginning furniture manufacturing in Milan in 1880. His practice was eclectic, and before his death in Molsheim, France in April 1940, he went on to produce jewelry, musical instruments, architectural designs, and paintings.