The must-see design exhibitions in Milan this summer

On display for the first time are  350 pieces of furniture and utilitarian objects, prototypes and models, paintings, drawings and studies designed and created by Aldo Rossi from 1960 to 1997. Throughout his production, the Milanese architect-designer reflects on the relationship between the architectural and urban scale and the monumental and object scale. 

The exhibition recounts his industrial and high craft production first with Alessi, then with Artemide, Molteni&C|UniFor, Richard-Ginori and Rosenthal among others. The path focuses on his experimentation with shapes and colours for furniture and objects, in an unexpected tale that delves into the activity of one of the protagonists of architecture. 

The exhibition “Caro Joe Colombo, ci hai insegnato il futuro” will be hosted from 24 May to 4 September 2022 at the GAM Galleria d’Arte Moderna in Milan. An exhibition dedicated to the architect who revolutionised the way of thinking about design, exploring ever new technologies, materials and shapes. Joe Colombo is narrated through his ideas that anticipated the technological and design achievements of contemporary society.  Read the full article here. 

Triennale Milano is mounting the third exhibition in the Linate Air Terminal. An exhibition dedicated to glass, the material of choice in Italian design for its artistic versatility and application. The space is interpreted as a pavilion linked to the history of the International Exhibitions, which have hosted thematic exhibitions and ephemeral architecture dedicated to glass and its use in various industries in the Palazzo dell'Arte. The showcases host a selection of objects from the collection of the Museum of Italian Design, signed by Gio Ponti, Fulvio Bianconi, Nanda Vigo, Matteo Thun, Ico Parisi, Cini Boeri, Tomu Katayanagi, Giancarlo Perego, Ettore Sottsass, Riccardo Dalisi, Michele De Lucchi, Dafne Koz, Giorgio Biscaro. 

The exhibition analyses the work of the Castiglioni brothers produced during 1962, when they designed the Arco lamp, the Relemme lamp, the Taccia lamp, the Toio lamp and the Ventosa lamp, as well as the foot switch, the Sleek spoon, the Giro armchair and the Pitagora coffee machine (Compasso d'Oro 1962). This year's vast production also includes numerous installations and architectures. 

An exhibition inspired by the game of Chinese boxes that aims to recount the work of Magistretti, architect and designer, in his Milanese studio and his bond with the city. There are three boxes: Milan, the studio where the designer worked all his life, with Franco Montella at his side, and the archive. 
The places are recounted through Magistretti's drawings and objects, in a layout that, thanks to the recovery of the studio's original furnishings, is an attempt at synthesis between philological reconstruction and reinterpretation of the space's original atmosphere. Accompanying visitors along this path of evocation are Magistretti's words (taken from interviews, notes, reports). 

Fifty years-those from 1954 to 2001-are the time frame in which Italy went from an agricultural economy to the first personal computers. A transition in which Olivetti played a leading role, taking the Boot's technological future by the hand with unprecedented and ambitious vision. The trajectory of this change is traced by the Compasso d'Oro, an award that since 1954, on the intuition of the historic director of Domus Gio Ponti and Alberto Rosselli, has rewarded the best innovations in industrial design. It is, therefore, no coincidence that the most awarded company in the history of the prestigious award is Olivetti. Its 16 awards are now on display at the ADI Design Museum – an association that has been responsible for awarding the Compasso d'Oro since 1964 – to spark reflections on the timeless role of the technological machine once its limitedly practical usability has ceased.