Anni Albers' weaving magic offers a delightful 2-in-1 modernist showcase in Milan

Paying tribute to the work of Anni Albers, five fabrics launched by Italian textile company Dedar during the Milan Design Week 2025 offer not one, but two reasons to explore 20th-century modernism.

The project announces Dedar's collaboration with the Josef & Anni Albers Foundation and is showcased elegantly on the 16th floor of Milan's iconic piece of modernist architecture legacy Torre Velasca – designed by BBPR (the 'R' is Ernesto Nathan Rogers, a relative of Richard Rogers) and situated in the heart of the Lombardy city.

Anni Albers fabrics launched by Dedar

Albers was one of the past century's most seminal textile artists, bridging graphic design, fine art and traditional crafts (London's Tate Modern looked back on her career to mark 100 years of the Bauhaus). Her mastery can be enjoyed through a series of displays in this new exhibition, free to visit for the duration of the city's annual design festival (until 13 April).

The four fabrics on show, based on works described by the artist as ‘pictorial weavings’, are true to Albers’ style,powerful and mesmerising – and can be applied for use in upholstery, curtains, panels, and textile elements for interior spaces. The pieces mix a variety of fabrics – from wool and cotton to jute, viscose, acrylic and polyester. Their dense, multi-dimensional weave blends old and new techniques in an artful way.

The venue: Torre Velasca

The experience becomes ever more powerful, seen as it is against the backdrop of Milan's cityscape. Torre Velasca, completed in 1959, is one of the tallest buildings in the city's central district, boldly standing out as an architectural landmark – once, controversial for its unusual shape. Its characteristic mushroom-like outline, whose floorplate widens on the upper floors, offers a 20th-century interpretation of the Lombardy region's medieval castles.

‘The exploration of Albers’ work and the dialogue with her way of thinking have called for open-mindedness in creative terms – and, above all, the desire to “take thread for a walk”, without any particular destination in mind, just as Albers did, inspired by the maestro Paul Klee. The reinterpretation of textures, colours, and forms originally intended for hand weaving has put our textile expertise to the test but, as she herself used to say, “art gives us courage” and therefore, with every new research endeavour we expand our knowledge,' say Caterina and Raffaele Fabrizio, CEO and creative director of Dedar.

dedar.com

albersfoundation.org