17-04-2019

The Italian Design Museum opens in Milan

Stefano Boeri Architetti, Joseph Grima,

Gianluca Di Ioia,

Milan,

Museums,

Interior Design, FuoriSalone, Triennale di Milano,

The most iconic and representative works of Italian design, part of the Collection of over 1500 objects exhibited in the Triennale di Milano, have a new permanent location. The Italian Design Museum has opened its doors to the public on the occasion of Milano Design Week 2019. A project conceived by Stefano Boeri, President of the Triennale di Milano, and thanks to the support of the Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities, the Museum is under the artistic direction of Joseph Grima.



The Italian Design Museum opens in Milan

The “Museo del Design Italiano” in Milan, an initiative strongly supported by Stefano Boeri, President of the Triennale di Milano, by the Boards of Directors of the Triennale Foundations and by a scientific committee that brings together big names from the world of Italian design and architecture including Paola Antonelli, Mario Bellini, Andrea Branzi, Antonio Citterio, Michele De Lucchi, Piero Lissoni, Claudio Luti, Fabio Novembre and Patricia Urquiola.
An initiative that finally addresses a long and heavy-felt absence. Italy and Milan are internationally recognised icons in the field of design. The works of Italian masters are exhibited in leading museums around the world, and at the MoMa (Museum of Modern Art) among all, but inexplicably in Milan a “museum of Italian design” did not yet exist, despite the fact that the city hosts a significant number of initiatives and events related to the world of design, such as the recently concluded Salone del Mobile and the Milano Design Week.

From April 9, on the occasion of the Milano Design Week 2019, the Italian Design Museum, housed by Palazzo dell'Arte, historical location of the Triennale di Milano in Viale Emilio Alemagna no. 6, opens its doors to the public. The most iconic and representative works of Italian design, part of the Collection of over 1500 objects exhibited in the Triennale di Milano, have a new permanent location on the ground floor of the building. The Design Museum is housed in the striking space of the “Curva”, one of the areas of the historic building designed by architect Giovanni Muzio and built between 1931 – 1933, whose original appearance has been preserved over time. The Italian Design Museum has been conceived thanks to the support of the Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities and is under the artistic direction of Joseph Grima. The opening of the Museum is only ”episode one” since, as explained by architect Stefano Boeri, President of the Triennale di Milano, in the press conference, a broader and longer-term project has been initiated with the support of the Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities and other Triennale partners and agreed upon with the ADI (Association for Industrial Design) and Assolombarda”. The goal is to make the Museum “the leading international centre dedicated to Italian Design”, enriching the Museum’s collection through the acquisition of new works and collaborations with archives, corporations, schools, universities and museums, as well as expanding the spaces dedicated to Design within the Triennale di Milano. The expansion, covering a space of nearly 6,000 square meters, will be the subject of an international design competition set to take place in May 2019, providing the museum with new exhibition spaces that will accommodate the full collection of objects of the Triennale, of services offered to the public and the reorganisation of the Archives.

Joseph Grima, Director of the Museum, explained that in addition to preserving and safeguarding the historical memory of Italian design, the Museum will also serve as a place of inspiration. An inspiration that may come directly from the very voices of the masters of design whose works are housed by the museum. The itinerary in fact includes recordings of the designers’ voices, who, in a simple manner narrate the genesis of the works and the needs they had to answer, while on the walls of the “Curva” a timeline remembers key Italian and international events, placing the works in the relevant historical, political, social and cultural context.

(Agnese Bifulco)

Museo del Design Italiano
Location: Viale Emilio Alemagna 6, Milan – Italy
Images courtesy of the Triennale di Milano, photo by Gianluca Di Ioia


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