PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS EVENT HAS BEEN POSTPONED.
A NEW DATE WILL BE ANNOUNCED ONCE DETERMINED.
Vico Magistretti was one of the most prolific industrial designers of his generation. His pieces, from lamps to chairs, to sofas and kitchens, grace homes and offices around the world. And he was not just a designer, but also a highly influential architect and a generous teacher.
On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Magistretti’s birth, and in celebration of the 4th Italian Design Day in the World, join us for a special presentation by Rosanna Pavoni, Director of the Vico Magistretti Foundation. Ms. Pavoni will trace the master’s long career and focus on his most popular projects, revealing how his signature Milanese style translated into innovative, timeless, and intuitive architecture and designs.
The event will mark the opening a of photographic exhibit dedicated to the designer. Special thanks go to OLuce and Illuminations DC for providing a sample of Magistretti’s iconic work.
LOCATION
Embassy of Italy
3000 Whitehaven Street NW
Washington, DC 20008
THIS CONFERENCE IS IN ITALIAN, SIMULTANEOUS TRANSLATION EQUIPMENT WILL BE PROVIDED
REGISTRATION & PHOTO ID REQUIRED
DOORS OPEN 30 MINUTES PRIOR EVENT START-TIME
Due to new safety regulations, we are not allowed to add extra seats to the auditorium or let anyone stand. A registration is not a guarantee of a seat as these are assigned on a first-come first-served basis. Doors close at event start-time.
Once the event is full we will not accept wait list requests. A limited number of “last call” registrations will be available on Eventbrite between 9:00 AM and 2:00 PM on the day of the event.
RESERVATIONS ACCEPTED EXCLUSIVELY THROUGH EVENTBRITE. NO PHONE OR EMAIL RSVP AVAILABLE
ROSANNA PAVONI
Rosanna Pavoni has combined cultural and museum projects for over two decades. Since 1986, she has collaborated with important public and private museums, as well as with universities, publishing houses and international organizations.
Along the way, she has promoted initiatives and introduced key innovations for the development of museums and the enhancement of museology. Rosanna has also contributed to defining the identity and the mission of House Museums. She has developed exhibition projects that have contributed to relaunching territories, public and private institutions in a consistent manner. She is currently the Scientific Director of the Vico Magistretti Foundation in Milan.
LUDOVICO MAGISTRETTI
Vico Magistretti was born in Milan, Italy, in 1920 to a family of architects—both his father, Pier Giulio Magistretti, and his grandfather, Gaetano Besia, were well-known architects. He began his studies in architecture at Politecnico di Milano in 1939, but due to World War II, and in order to avoid the draft into the military service, Magistretti interrupted his studies and left for Switzerland in 1943.
While in Switzerland, he taught at the local university, took courses at the Champ Universitaire Italien in Lausanne, and befriended Ernesto Nathan Rogers, the influential architect who had established the notable Studio BBPR Rationalist architectural collaborative in 1932. Rogers’ friendship and guidance would serve as inspiration for Vico Magistretti as he charted his own course through the modern design landscape.
Upon his return to Milan in 1945, Magistretti completed his degree in architecture at Politecnico di Milano and embarked on a series of innovative furniture designs for the R.I.M.A. exhibition and for the Triennale di Milano. During this time, he also worked with other premier furniture designers of the time, such as Ignazio Gardella, Achille Castiglioni, Pier Giacomo Castiglioni, Marco Zanuso, and Franco Albini.
During the 1950s and 1960s, he designed furniture with most of the major Italian furniture makers of the time. Examples of his work include the Carimate chair for Cassina (1959); the Ecclise table lamp for Artemide (1966), which won Vico Magistretti his first Compasso d’Oro award in 1967; the Selene stacking chair for Artemide (1968); the Maralunga armchair for Cassina (1973), which won Magistretti his third Compasso d’Oro in 1979; the Atollo table lamp for Oluce (1977), which won Magistretti his second Compasso d’Oro award; the very popular Sonora pendant lamp for Oluce (1976); the Nuvola Rossa bookcase for Cassina (1977); and the Bruco lamp for Fontana Arte (2003).
At the same time, Magistretti was involved in an increasing number of architectural projects, including Milan’s Torre del Parco (1954–1956), designed in collaboration with Franco Longoni, and the San Felice neighborhood (1966–1969), created in tandem with Luigi Caccia Dominioni. His architectural aesthetic, just as his furniture design philosophy, was characterized by its streamlined contours of modernity and a notable consideration for the use of color, material, texture, and pattern.
In addition to the abovementioned accolades, Magistretti received his fourth Compasso D’Oro award in 1995 for his lifetime achievement, and in 1986, he received the Gold Medal from the Chartered Society of Industrial Artists & Designers. Vico Magistretti taught at London’s Royal College of Arts for two decades before his death in 2006.