Uncovering experimental narratives behind collectible design in Milan

Even within the confines of its largest art fair, Milan can’t let go of its devotion to design. Miart was a three-day long art fair (13-15 April) that whet the city’s appetite for champagne toasts and rapid-fire vernissages before Salone del Mobile’s big guns rolled into town in the following days. Though the vast majority of booths focus on fine art, a small, smartly chosen selection of design galleries made a fine showing in the ‘Object’ section, which was curated by London-based journalist Hugo Macdonald.
The Object section was devoted to galleries active in the promotion of experimental design, decorative arts, limited editions and collectable design. It consisted of 12 galleries, an even mix of young and established, Milanese, Italian and European. ‘This year we have encouraged galleries to focus their shows on one or two or a small handful of exhibitors, to give space to properly tell stories,’ Macdonald describes of Object 2019, his second time at the helm of the section. ‘I think it makes for a confident narrative. You understand why works are important and can appreciate their value beyond their aesthetic quality or status symbol.’
Dimoregallery’s booth at Miart 2019
The approach indeed proved fruitful. Highlights included ceramics gallery Officine Saffi’s solo exhibition of the work of Milanese designer Elisa Ossino. On display was a series of monolithic objects made by hand from clay and sand and coloured a dusty shade of rose pink, a mix of the sort of monumental forms and careful scenography Ossino has become known for in recent years.
Northern Italian furniture producer Eredi Marelli showed off its Paolo Buffa archive in the form of the mid-century Italian designer’s original walnut and velvet seating, exhibited alongside his hand-drawn technical sheets and rare books dedicated to his work. While Modena-based gallery Antonio Verolino brought with them a solo show on Cesare Leonardi, described by Macdonald as, ‘a timely reappraisal of a fascinating body of work by a gifted and multi-dextrous designer.’
Galleri Feldt’s booth at Miart 2019
Not all galleries took such singular routes. Milan’s Luisa delle Piane showed a fresh assortment of midcentury and contemporary pieces, mixing furniture by Franco Albini and Franca Helg with embroidered lighting by Instituto Campana and an installation of crudely rendered clay masks by artist Giovanni De Francesco.
Another local, Dimoregallery, brought a melange of work from the 1960s through to the 1980s on a stripped back set of carpeted white risers, a toned down departure from their usual theatrical setups. Finally, Copenhagen’s Galleri Feldt took a slightly different approach, creating a ‘conversation between important Danish design icons and exquisite craft studies from their ongoing collaboration with Vitamin Creative Space in China,’ says Macdonald.
‘My aim has been to focus on galleries that are actively engaged in bringing the cultural context to life around the designs they show and sell,’ Macdonald explains of his curatorial mission for this year’s selection. ‘Collectible design is about more than investment. The stories around the people and pieces are vital for understanding their value.’
INFORMATION
For more information, visit the Miart website
Laura May Todd is a Canadian-born, Milan-based journalist covering design, architecture and style. In addition to the Italian dispatches she writes for Wallpaper*, she regularly contributes to a range of international publications, including T: The New York Times Style Magazine, Architectural Digest, Elle Decor, Azure and Sight Unseen. Prior to her work as a journalist, she was assistant editor at London-based publishing house Phaidon Press.
-
Serpentine Pavilion 2023 invites everyone to the table
The Serpentine Pavilion 2023 launches to a design by Lina Ghotmeh, whose installation 'À table,' is an invitation to togetherness
By Ellie Stathaki • Published
-
Jewellery designers share their most precious personal pieces
A host of jewellers have given us a peek at the jewellery which has brought them solace this year
By Hannah Silver • Published
-
How to choose the right sunscreen for your skin
Consult our definitive sunscreen guide to answer your most burning sunscreen questions and find the product that’s best suited to your skin type
By Mary Cleary • Published
-
Lake Como Design Festival explores neo-nomadism
Staged across historical venues in Como, the latest edition of the Lake Como Design festival (17 – 25 September 2022) includes exhibitions and talks centred around the theme of nomadism, and how it has shaped culture and creativity
By Maria Cristina Didero • Last updated
-
‘You don't want space; you want to fill it’: Milan exhibition
Making its debut during Milan Design Week 2022 at Marsèll Paradise, a new exhibition by Matylda Krzykowski, explores how we approach the space we live in (until 15 July 2022)
By Cristina Kiran Piotti • Last updated
-
Kohler and Daniel Arsham brought experiential art to Milan Design Week
Looking back on Daniel Arsham and Kohler’s Divided Layers installation, and the brand’s latest bathroom collection
By Simon Mills • Last updated
-
Men’s mental health takes centre stage at an art and design exhibition by Tableau
‘Confessions’, which travels to Copenhagen’s 3 Days of Design following its debut at Milan Design Week 2022, features commissioned work by 14 male artists, designers and architects, reflecting on toxic masculinity, vulnerability and mental health
By TF Chan • Last updated
-
Recycled glass tiles by Studio Plastique, Snøhetta and Fornace Brioni launch in Milan
The ‘Forite’ tile collection, which upcycles glass components from discarded fridges, ovens and microwaves, launches with an exhibition at Alcova during Milan Design Week 2022
By TF Chan • Last updated
-
Hermès’ annual Milan Design Week spectacle is inspired by brutalist water towers
Bringing colour and lightness to Fuorisalone 2022, Hermès’ installation at La Pelota conceals the maison’s latest collections of furniture, accessories and lighting
By Rosa Bertoli • Last updated
-
Alcova: wellbeing, cultural identity and the environment in focus at Milan Design Week 2022
In its fourth edition during Milan Design Week 2022, Alcova brings together a diverse group of designers and brands curated by Valentina Ciuffi and Joseph Grima
By Sujata Burman • Last updated
-
New Giorgetti furniture balances beauty and functionality
New Giorgetti furniture, revealed at Salone del Mobile 2022 and photographed here at the rationalist Castrocaro Terme, is perfectly poised between beauty and functionality
By Rosa Bertoli • Last updated