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Seeing Through Franco Albini Domestic Modernity in Rationalist Italy

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Seeing Through Franco Albini Domestic Modernity in Rationalist Italy 392 RECALIBRATING CENTERS AND MARGINS Seeing Through Franco Albini Domestic Modernity in Rationalist Italy KAY BEA JONES The Ohio State University INTIPOUlrCTION: FOUR OBSERVATIONS rnufelini ~o~nmissio~~s.reflect the irlfluence of hi< pre-\\ar dome& cxperiments in interior design. He initiated thrmes in Exen a cursol? glance at a range of uorlis h! Franco 4U)ini. the-e mino1 projrcti that require modern transparrnc! and lo\ r iric~ludingor~lan~erlt. furniture and building plans. suggests his of craft: Finall!. the nature of the modr~nloom, Iargeh influenre on tlie norlib of later and better ltnoxm architecti. I wh\erted b! the brealidoun of the box and the elinlination of do not intend to argue that Gehq. koolhaas. and Johnion \+ere the %all in srrilinal mod err^ it,ons, is intact in Gini's interiors knonledpeahle ahout Ilbini"~\+orli. but through closer inspec- and ~orlisto reinforce the room as tlie unit element of tion of selected projects 1 -ant to suggest the clirrericj of the architecture. idea5 arid talent* of thii lescer knoun modern architect.' hlanfredo Tahri ( rediti 4biili \+it11leading the waj in one of the architectural hreal&roughs of his generation: modern ;\ia designer xsith a lasting legac!. Alhini's work desenes morr critical consideration. uhich 1 hope to adlance through itudies museum design. Tafuri lecognizez hi< .*hou.es of art" tor of hi. museums. houeing. intrriors. furniture. prixatr and puhlic achiexir~g equilibrium betueen noxel space and exhihition cornn~issions.and tearhing. Hi* prolific career extended trom func tion. and bet\\ een memorj and inno\ ation. Ilhini pro- pre-~arrationaliw~ to poet-war progrrssi~e modernism located dut ed Ital,'s first vhite box gallen in the Palazzo Biarico in in Itah with fek+ exceptiorls. In this paper. 1 \+ill look Genoa. The 16th centun, palate on the Rena~isanteStrada eprtificall~ at hi* domeitic interiors from the ea~l! 1930s huma houiei a chic rnubeum collection of histori( artifa~ts. through thr 1950s. Tliis wl),et of his norlt is of interest in tlie Tafuri alqo noted Ubini's extraortliriar! contribution in tlie contr\t of this corlference for at least three reasons. First. the exanlple of the Treasun of San Lorenzo Gallen huilt juct after d~ellingis the domain of architecture that has most resisted Palazzo Bidnco (1950) in the ianie citj. Characterizing \\hat lie n~otlernization.especiall! in lorth 4nierit an popular culture. calls *'magical abstraction" in -4lbirii's rationalist sensibilit~. Seiondl~.Uini and partneri' nlost important design contribu- Taturi rite^: tions during the post-war period. mident in their public 91st ACSA ANNUAL MEETING LOUISVILLE KY MARCH 14-17, 2003 393 Albznz managed to sublsrnate the ecoterlc nature of hls of reference from futurism to artc pol era supplied a decidedl~ referents. The dlalectlc betlreen cpoces, the 1mlatmzs of different conceptual haclcground from (din Rowe arid Rohert lzght. the dmlog bet~teerlthe glass caws and the ambpous Slutsk\'q understanding of cubisrn a. the heritage for modern auggestlz eneaa oj the interconnected organlsrns articulated architecture. ,Ubini's architectural language uas more direct]\ one oj the mo\t orzgznal mpedzents of illbsnl'c poetlts: u illaped bj his identification uitll the rationaliqts ~tithnllom he surrealism all the mole v~btle~n that tt uae lesol~edIn wai trained and collaborated. intluding Gardella. Periico. techrur (1111 faultless I otabular~. -llbm's .'burzed urch~tec- Pagdno. and Palanti. during the 1030s and earl! 40s. Hi* turr~"potaesce5sts occ n language. Isolatedjiorn the entcrncll unique contributions bet onle progreqsix el\ apparent in hiq ztorld. rt eIrcrt> a dsalo,uue between techrzolog-rccll el?- p-uar projects. produced first on his o~n.then later \\ith his gance - a fill the? tool for achlet zng euplenw detachment - partner. Franca Helg. Their later projects demonstrate a fresh and firms. Ths5 dlolope exalts an unreal dzrnens~on:thc freedom from the stJlistic dopa ot pre-~arrationaliwl. dlmenslon to be preclse, of ubrtlactlon nc 'su5pended re1 ealing d perpetuation of hi<oun motif5 de~eloped during the rmoge.' It tune the Fame abstmctron that tharacterszed prior period. Alhini eftecti\ elj interiorized tranbparencj . He 4lhm1's znterzors: ephemeral contamers for magzcallj trnr~c- entered pictorial space to nealien and enrich the literal ported hzstorml objects. 4lb1n1 crentpd masterpieces of language of the abstract loid. BJ focusing uithin. he explored rcyes~ntatronal 1 ~rtuousztj and dreamllAr sugge5tu enr\s. 11c~uses of ephe~neralmaterial. with enwrging tet hnologiei. HIFl~rzczsm re~lded In the erect. suspended, and rerrzforcrd mdintained pri~ac! as an urban imperatixe. and estahliqhed a fir~~no\. Alblnl4 $el erlt~r~lludet to an ub\ent L( lthout recurring tension bet~eenthe artifact arid the room. Ubini'c el er beton~lng trugzc: use of glass and fabric. employed for horizontal and ~ertical layers offered sophisticated ~ariationsof spatial transparent!. H~Mdoei Alhini'i ~orlioffer poetic dlternatixei to the purit~01 that part of contemporan arcliitetture that cannot br .up- enigmatic modern minimalism and the abitract trarrsparenc! pre+ed. characteristic of International Strle architecture? Like manj from his generation in Ital!. Mini produced furniture. ir~teri- -la a material practice, the xtorli of Francw -1lGir1i embodied a ors. edd~itions.affordable housing and ipacei of high culture pluralist language of transpareric ! all his oxtn jet a130 belonging using a xariable palette of modern materials and methodi of to the Italian tenderzza. 4lbini produced numerous installations. construction \tit11 careful attention to craft. His idtural frd~ne rxllibition interiors. trade fair palilions and temporaq cow Ol st ACSA ANNUAL MEETING LOUISVILLE KY MARCH 14-17. 2003 395 \lodrrr~iz;ltion i11 ltal\ sugprsteti scirtltiiic and teclnrologic a1 progreii. \\hi( 11 e~rrrtliall~lationalizrd tlir thrllir~gas both a lorma1 and art rc o~lomic co11.truc.t. Throughout thr 1O20-. Ijeiorr trrlnir~olo~ysuch a+ the "ne\\ d\\rlling.'- ""r1ite117- rninirnnnl" or "niacl~ir~ea llahiter" mere rommorr i11 ItA. forripn rnotleli I~rought +cientific print iples for organizing tlomeitic life \+it11 influente. on hrgier~e. land! size. and \\orrie~~'irole*.^ \lilanese architect Gio Ponti published Iiis r-saj entitled .'La Cmcn c~ll'ltol~ana"in the firit issue of the journal Domu5 in 1023 i11 I\ hi( h he diitinguibhed tlre riiodelr~ Italian 1iou.e from 11. neigl111ol+ north oi the Ups. He c.lai11ird that Itall's nxild climate diminished the nerd ioi distill( ti011 iret~eenirrdc. and outside. ( onsequeritl! form3 and material* are often rontinuo~~s.Probably responding to European influ- en( ei and to the Ratio~ialists nlanifesto pnl)lislied tllr prior tear. Ponti in.isted that the %el\ spirit" should not focus on ALBINI'S BEGINNINGS: INTERIOR TRANSPARENCY \+hat mas purrl~hnctional 1)ut attend to "spiritual co~rLtort.". AND DOMESTIC RELATIONS o\er prdgniatir prdc ticalities. hldristella Casciato ha\ identified Ponti's three primar~conterns in the el olution of the modern 1lbini had cornpleted his architectural studies at the Politecni- Italidn house I egarding aeitlietir . social arid ter llriical programs co di Vilano onl~one !ear prior to the Rloriza Biennale. In all aimed at the rerise of ~t7.k.~Ponti's focus on 1ifest)le uai forthconlirig exhibitions. U~ini~ould contribute to three I orisidereti hourgeols by the progreqsix e young architects of the rvperiniental 4io\\> and realize smeral domeqtic interiors Gruppo 7. since it ran counter to tlie rationalists' 'adherence to during tlre same decade. These projects trace the eIolution of logic and order." Terrragni's controversial \o~ocomum apart- his transitional motifs for the modern room. For tlie \ 111 ment huildir~gin Como in 1929 was quicMj recognized as a Triennale i1ll9~33. Uini participated wit11 0 architects 011 a tangible e\arnple of rationalist principles. jet on11 its facade as team headed h~ Giuseppe Pagano to produce the four-stor! built presented alternatir es to the traditional Italian dpartnient steel frame house. Persico singled out the project for "proxiding building. Iti interior rooms \\ere not published and i~rol)abl~ practical solution3 to national proble~~is."'On the third floor. ithout signific anr e in defining a rleM dl\ ellir~pt~ pe. Enrico the sulu dn p~unzowas separated trom the corridor lrj a 1 eil- Gliffini prolided architects with a manual of lieu domestic form like transparent curtain. During the sarrle year. 1lhini trans- in his outline ok principles entitled costruzrorre lazlonale $ella formed an artist's studio into a studio apartn~eritwith a iingle ca5u in 1931 and applied his proposals in collaboration uith room ac comrnodating hnctions of sleeping. M riting. sitting and Gruppo 7 member,."' let the most influential ideas about the eating. Urini used hlack maxed sailcloth to irolate the bedroom modern Italian house mere disseminated \ia the exhibition for a nooli. while a srnolted glass arid metal partition flanked the lacation llouse sponiored bj Soczeta' Edlwn, the Caw Elettrt- dining table made of black glasi. The dark material< akforded ca. greater xisual pri~a(\ in a compressed area. \\bile their gloss! surtaces. reflected light. Producrd for the 11th Biennale in Rloriza in 1930 b~ seleral n~eniberi of Gmppo 7: Figini. Pollini. Frettr. Lihera. and In 1936 the \I \Man Triennale I+as t oordinated bj Giuseppe Bottoni. the Cam Elettrrta \\& the first trul! glais houre. Papano. \+hose intereit in rationalist hnctionalism and mass progranni~edfol donieqtic inhabitation, and realized onl! a jedr productio~~guided his selec+on of !oung t olleaprs for after the Bartelorra Pa~illion." The exhibition house nas commissions in the exhibition." Zlbini ma< charged along uith streamlined. economical. arid efficient. nit11 special emphasis Giantarlo Palanti and Reriato Camus to design a ""Room for a pla( ed on dining. for \+hich Bottorii designed an a.wnilrl~ line \Ian." 111 I940 for the \ I1 Triennalr.
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