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EXHIBITIONS TAKING PLACE IN A CONDENSED TIMEFRAME AT SOME OF MILAN’S MOST IMPORTANT CULTURAL VENUES
ARTS & CRAFTS & DESIGN Time according to Alessandro Mendini and his artisans 6-14 April, Superstudio 13 Via Forcella, 13 Developed by the Cologni Foundation for the Métiers d’Art in cooperation with Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain in Paris and supported by Vacheron Constantin, the project was previewed at Geneva’s Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie. The theme of the exhibition is Time: 13 outstanding objects designed by the great Alessandro Mendini that emphasise the relationship between art, design and artistic crafts. Each of the works designed by Mendini was made in different materials (mosaic, glass, lace, ceramic, polyurethane, wood, methacrylate, brass, resin and iron) by outstanding craftsmen, ateliers or Italian art editors: from Bisazza to Venini, from Superego Design to the Committee for the Promotion of Cantù Lace, from Slide to the Paolo Curti and Annamaria Gambuzzi Gallery, from Giovanni Scacchi to Gori Lab and Fedeli Restauri, from Cleto Munari and Henry Glass to Carlo Poggio Design and Riva 1920.
WOMEN IN WORKSHOPS The presence of women artisans / protodesigners/entrepreneurs in Lombardy from 1906 to 2012 14 March-21 April, Palazzo Morando - Costume Moda Immagine, Via Sant’Andrea, 6 Promoted by Anty Pansera and Mariateresa Chirico of the DcomeDesign Association, the exhibition focuses on the design creativity of women in Lombardy, showcasing representative “samples” of their production, that is often little known but extremely sig-
nificant and valuable. The exhibition identifies some of the fields where women artisan-artists have played a significant role and their creations – unique pieces or small series – express considerable originality and experimentation in various creative fields and with a variety of materials: from lace to fabric and paper, from carpets to ceramics and silver, from jewellery to accessories for the home. ARTISTIC CRAFTS AND PROFESSIONS The Symbolic Heads of Ugo La Pietra 2-7 April, Swiss Corner c/o the Swiss Centre - Piazza Cavour, 7 on the corner of Via Palestro Ugo La Pietra’s works are characterised by the merging of design and craftsmanship, objects shaped through the close collaboration with master craftsmen and artisan communities. Of the many projects he has developed in the past thirty years to renew traditional culture, the one related to the Caltagirone area seems to have produced some of the most successful and significant results. As is often the case with his creative process, La Pietra was inspired by the “head planter”, the symbol of Caltagirone’s great historical ceramic
CELEBRATING THE SKILLS OF THE FEMALE HAND Above, Fede Cheti, Samburu, linen (1950). From the Collezione Fede Cheti, displayed at the “Women in Workshops” exhibition in Milan’s Palazzo Morando. Top, three of the twelve ceramic head planters by Ugo La Pietra, made by master ceramist Nicolò Morales of Caltagirone, dedicated to the “Professions”: the chef, the doctor, the architect. Opposite page, bottom, works by Lino Sabattini: the historical “Como” silver tea and coffee set (1956); from the “Palafitte” series, bottle in Murano glass and silver-plated metal (1992).
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