Triennale Milano will dedicate a retrospective to Gae Aulenti in 2024

On the tenth anniversary of the passing of Gae Aulenti (Palazzolo dello Stella, 1927 - Milan, 2012), which falls on Monday, October 31, Triennale Milano and Gae Aulenti Archive announce a retrospective scheduled for 2024 in the spaces of Triennale dedicated to one of the most representative figures ofarchitecture and design in contemporary history. Under the scientific curatorship of Giovanni Agosti and thanks to contributions from various national and international exponents, the exhibition will trace the various themes addressed by Gae Aulenti during her career, including the design of architecture and stage sets, the importance of design and research, with the aim of recounting her way of seeing, imagining and designing reality.

“Gae Aulenti was a peculiar figure in the Italian cultural landscape: a creative talent expressed in different contexts and languages (from furniture design to set design, from architecture to interior design) whose marks are still evident and generative today,” says Stefano Boeri, president of Triennale Milano. “His curiosity and creative intelligence opened new perspectives to the culture of design. Triennale intends to create a major retrospective that will restore the complexity of his figure to the public.”

Nina Artioli, Director of the Gae Aulenti Archive, added, “The Gae Aulenti Archive has worked in recent years with the aim of collecting the precious evidence of a rich and multifaceted career. The real research on Gae has not yet begun. This exhibition will mark a starting point by offering an opportunity to bring order to what has been done so far-a basis for developing points of view and opening up insights for study.”

Gae Aulenti also left a considerable imprint on the international design scene, designing objects that are identified today as contemporary icons. Some of them belong to the permanent collection of Triennale Milano’s Museum of Italian Design, such as the Sgarsul armchair, created in 1962 for Poltronova, the Pipistrello lamp, designed in 1965 for Martinelli Luce, and Tavolo con Ruote, conceived in 1980 for FontanaArte.

Many episodes testify to the connection between Triennale and Gae Aulenti during her career, such as the curatorship, together with Luigi Caccia Dominoni, of the entrance path starting from Sempione Park of the 12th Triennale in 1960, the participation in the 13th Triennale in 1964, and the awarding of the Medaglia d’Oro alla Carriera Prize in 2012.

The exhibition is part of Triennale’s in-depth look at some of the most extraordinary masters of design culture: Ettore Sottsass (2017), Mario Bellini (2017), Osvaldo Borsani (2018), Achille Castiglioni (2018), Enzo Mari (2020), Vico Magistretti (2021), Carlo Aymonino (2021), and Pietro Lingeri (2021).

Pictured, Gae Aulenti during the Architecture meeting. In Palazzo delle arti, The new Triennale Gallery, detail, 1994. Photo by Manfredo Pinzauti. Triennale Milan photo archives.

Triennale Milano will dedicate a retrospective to Gae Aulenti in 2024

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