Gabriella Crespi was born in Saronno, a small town outside of Milan, Italy. She studied art at the Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera in Milan and architecture at the Politecnico di Milano, graduating in the 1940s. Uniting her artistic strengths, Crespi began designing furniture and jewellery, as well as creating sculptural works that gained international fame.
Her Small Lune Collection (1950s), a group of polished steel crescent moon sculptures, and her decorative boxes and animal sculptures began to draw the attention of clients such as Christian Dior, Audrey Hepburn, Hubert de Givenchy, Gunther Sachs, and Gianni Versace.
Her deep spiritualistic beliefs united her eclectic aesthetic. Inspired by the cosmic and futuristic qualities of simple rounded metal forms, Crespi unapologetically contrasted brass with natural materials and imagery such as bamboo and lotus leaves.
