Italian Design

| 1945 - 2016 | Made in Italy

The Italian design saw, from the Post-war period to the end of the century, a series of remarkable mutations dued to the change of the economic conditions, to the new technological discoveries (materials and construction techniques) and to a few cultural developments, particularly in the relationship with the past, expressing itself in different fields (from furniture to lighting, from living to mobility) and according to different approaches and languages.

A synthetic selection of 20 historical projects highlights that, even in their heterogeneity, the project processes are determined by four recurring conceptions: the product as an emblem of cultural and social mutations, the product as a life- quality enhancing device, the product as a rielaboration of historical references, the product as a research of the detail. design as c r e at i v e i n tu iti o n Designer figure F i r s t ly b a s e d on personal creativity a n d c o m pa n y k n o w h o w D e s i g n wa s t r i a l product Design

M a d e i n i t a ly TS502 RADIO

The development of the radio broadcastings in the Sixties, the request of new devices and the definition of new technological and aesthetic principles grows up very quickly. From this point of view, the TS502 radio experiments innovative principles: it consists in two cubic plastic caps, joined through an hinge, that can rotate allowing different configurations between the open and the close one, with an extractable antenna and an handle that permits a more comfortable transportation.

Marco Zanuso and Richard Sapper, TS502 Radio, Brionvega (1964) VALENTINE TYPEWRITER

Produced in a period of great social and cultural changes, this portable typewriter was conceived in a very innovative way, if compared with the Olivetti previous realizations. Experimentating the new plastic derivatives (the discovery by the Nobel Prize Giulio Natta dates back to 1954), the shell is in a polished ABS, with two yellow handles to roll up the ribbon and an handle with a case in ABS for the protection from the bumps during the transport.

Ettore Sottsass, Valentine typewriter, Olivetti (1969) This product was sold in a thermoformed plastic case, that later Castiglioni saw, hanged on the walls of a few friends’ houses, as a sort of artwork.

PARENTESI LAMP

Designed as the rielaboration of a sketch by Pio Manzù, a young designer died in 1969, the Parentesi lamp is constituted by a steel cable hanged to the ceiling and put in tension by a counterweight at the base, along which a folded tube (with the bracket shape that gives its name to the lamp) slides.

Achille Castiglioni and Pio Manzù, Parentesi lamp, Flos (1970) fu r n i t u r e Design

M a d e i n i t a ly ARCO LAMP

This icon of the Italian design is based on the idea of making a lamp that could give light to the table freeing it from the position of the ceiling connections (usually in the middle of the room). The structure is made by a Carrara marble foot (perforated in order to facilitate its transportation with a stick or a bar) and an arc made up by three elements that, sliding one into the other, allow to adjust its height. The reflector consists in a perforated dome (for cooling the lamp) and in an aluminum ring that allows to regulate the position according to the height.

Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni, Arco lamp, Flos (1962) Superleggera

Designed as a rielaboration of the Chiavarina, a typical seat produced in Liguria at the beginning of the XIX century, the Superleggera takes the name by its weight, only 1,7 Kg, that makes it the “lightest one in the history of this typology”.

The structure is in lacquered or natural ashwood, with a seat in India cane and legs with a triangular section.

Gio Ponti, Superleggera, Cassina (1957) Sacco sofa

Conceived as a light, destructured and movable product, the Sacco sofa was designed with the goal of allowing new postures and free behaviours, that was the result of the Radical Design principles in those years.

The sofa was characterized by a stuffing in semi- expanded polystyrene grains (instead of the lead balls thought for the first versions) and a coloured leather covering.

Gatti-Paolini-Teodoro, Sacco sofa, Zanotta (1968) Transportation Design

Made in italy Vespa & Lambretta

The great commercial success of the Vespa and the Lambretta is determined by a few concurrent factors: the new driving position, suitable both for men and women conduction, the possibility to be used both in urban and extra-urban roads, the affordable price for many people in the post-war economic upturn.

Thanks to the birth of the “scooter”, the two companies Piaggio and Innocenti could convert their machineries, formerly used for the war industry, without changing their productive structure.

Corradino D’Ascanio, Vespa, Piaggio (1945) Cesare Pallavicino, Lambretta, Innocenti (1947) Fiat 500

•FIAT 500 is a car strongly related to the Post-war period and the new economic development in Italy.

The idea was the one of creating a car that with a reasonable price can be affordable for all the social classes. This purpose was reached thanks to the compact dimensions and the simplification of a few components proposed by the young engineer Dante Giacosa.

Dante Giacosa, FIAT 500, FIAT (1957) MIURA

A cornerstone in the history of the european sports cars, this one made at once Lamborghini (founded three years before the realization) the main competitor of , thanks to the mid- engined two seat layout, the high performances and the sleek styling.

The represent an example of a great aesthetic and technological quality in the Italian design applied to the automotive industry.

Gian Paolo , Giotto Bizzarini, Paolo Stanzani, Lamborghini Miura, Lamborghini (1966-1973) acquarama

This luxury wooden boat was the evolution of the Riva “Tritone”, a previous model by the same company. For its high perfomances, the aesthetic research and the craftsmanship care of the details, Aquarama became one of the most famous boats in the world.

The name comes from the cinema format “Cinerama”, evoked by the large glass windshield in the forward part.

Aquarama, Carlo Riva (1962) Mid sixties production strategy Trought Pure trail was enough no more Need for structured design knowledge Knowledge obtainedtroughtproper educational programs One of the first who understood it was