VICO MAGISTRETTI - Architecture & Design Exhibition

13 SEPTEMBER (Opening Reception) – on view until 18 OCTOBER 2024

The exhibition Vico Magistretti – Architecture & Design retraces the sixty-year career of the renowned architect and designer, delving deeply into the two inseparable aspects of his work: architecture and design. Through drawings, blueprints, photographs and project reports, both his most famous and lesser-known works are showcased, highlighting Magistretti’s approach to urban planning and the historical-cultural context. Simultaneously, the exhibition celebrates Magistretti’s industrial design, featuring original sketches and product catalogues that have become icons of Italian design, such as chairs, lamps, tables, beds and bookshelves.

A special focus is given to the professional partnerships that Magistretti established with some of the most important Italian and international design companies, such as Artemide, Cassina, De Padova, Flou and Oluce, some of which will be exhibited. These collaborations, developed over more than fifty years, significantly contributed to defining and promoting the success of Italian style worldwide.

The exhibition, curated by the Fondazione Magistretti with Maria Vittoria Capitanucci and organized by the Italian Cultural Institute Sydney in collaboration with the Embassy of Italy in Canberra, is structured into three main sections: biography, architectural works and design objects, including iconic furniture pieces on display, loaned by Italian brands Artemide (Inlite Australia), Cassina (Mobilia), De Padova (Boffi | De Padova Studio Sydney) and Oluce (Euroluce). The exhibition offers a comprehensive journey that reveals the essence of Vico Magistretti's prolific and eclectic career.

Vico Magistretti was born in Milan in 1920 into a family of architects, including his father Pier Giulio, one of the designers, along with Griffini, Muzio, and Portaluppi, of the Palazzo dell’Arengario in Piazza del Duomo. He graduated in architecture from the Politecnico di Milano in 1945, after spending time in Lausanne where he met Ernesto Nathan Rogers, founder of the BBPR studio. Starting in the 1950s, Magistretti became one of the leading figures in the reconstruction of Milan, with projects such as those for INA-Casa and the QT8 district.

In the 1960s, his architectural work focused on the themes of housing and living, while his collaborations with furniture manufacturers like Artemide, Cassina and Oluce established him as one of the fathers of Italian Design. Magistretti continued to excel in both fields in the following years, becoming a reference point for younger generations. His design works are exhibited in major American and European museums, such as the MoMA in New York and the Victoria & Albert Museum in London.

After he passed away in September 2006, his studio, where Fondazione studio museo Vico Magistretti is located, was converted into a museum devoted to the study of his work and to promoting it.