Claudio Magazzù: design begins with a blank sheet

Claudio Magazzù likes sinuous, seductive, elegant lines. That’s a fact. He falls in love with the curves he draws, immersing himself in what is often called “the flow,” a psychological state where nothing else exists—time, place, noise—all fade away, leaving only him, his pencil, and a blank sheet of paper.

When Claudio Magazzù, the designer, enters this state, he grabs anything that writes—a pencil, a pen—and any sheet of paper to start sketching. It’s as if his connection to reality dissolves, and even his historic studio, located within the Magazzù shipyard, loses its physical presence.

He rises above the world as he draws, no longer hearing or seeing anything but the stunning lines that, guided by his hand, remain etched on the page as naturally as they are indelibly.

But Claudio Magazzù is not just a designer; he is, first and foremost, an aeronautical engineer. This is why the lines that emerge from his flow state are precise, sharp, essential, clean, aerodynamic, and utterly unique.

We met him at the Genoa International Boat Show, and on a late September morning, standing on the bow of the brand-new MX-16, we managed to persuade him—despite his reticence—to grant us an unusual interview. It was less about the exquisite results of his creative work and more about uncovering the man behind those lines.

What has always fascinated us about the boats from the Magazzù shipyard is the timeless elegance of their lines—an elegance that evolves with changing tastes and technologies yet remains true to itself. It’s an alchemy of lines, materials, and emotions.

For Claudio Magazzù, design stems from the need to adapt the essential to the functional, to align technology with the requirements of a project within its particular historical context. “Aesthetics come consequently. A well-conceived, well-thought-out, and well-designed maxi-RIB will inevitably be beautiful”. he explains.

Beauty, for him, isn’t just about visual appeal—it’s about meeting the client’s needs in the most efficient way possible, using the least amount of materials and accessories.

It always comes back to clean lines and practicality, though getting the creative side of this “engineer” to speak isn’t easy. It almost seems as though Claudio Magazzù is unaware of the left hemisphere of his brain, the one that guides his hand across the page. However, we press on: What does beauty mean to you? What is design?

“Dressing an imaginary body concealed in the paper, clothing it in the most beautiful attire – he answers, seemingly unaware of the importance of what he’s just said – And then undressing it, leaving only what is necessary – he adds with a smile – Voltaire, in the closing of one of his letters, wrote: I am writing you a long letter because I didn’t have time to write you a short one. That’s the essence—it takes time to reach what is essential”.

The drawing on the page disappears, leaving only essential strokes, like in the process behind Picasso’s Guernica, as captured in the photographs of Dora Maar, displayed at Madrid’s Reina Sofía Museum.

So we ask “engineer” Magazzù the difference between art and design. “Design meets practicality, utility, and the client’s needs. Art stays in museums”.

Looking at the M16, the maxi-RIB we’re on board, the concept he just expressed becomes crystal clear: the evolution of design driven by the functional demands of a walkaround, with its fender-like tubular made of polyurethane foam. Magazzù explains that this material is not only easy to design but also practical and safe during maneuvering, avoiding the risks of damage associated with traditional tubulars.

This is yet another proof of how a single brilliant mind, deeply connected to every step of the production chain, can seamlessly blend beauty and engineering into a flawless result.

A process Claudio Magazzù himself barely seems conscious of, but one that is undeniably responsible for the very concept of the maxi-RIB—a concept that his shipyard continues to embody as its quintessence.