Angelo Mangiarotti: When Structures Take Shape

This spring, the Triennale Milano pays tribute to the Milanese architect and designer Angelo Mangiarotti (1921-2012) with an exhibition entitled Angelo Mangiarotti: When Structures Take Shape. Curated by Fulvio Irace, with Francesca Albani and Franz Graf, for the Architecture section, Luca Pietro, for the Sculpture section and Marco Sammicheli for the Design section, with the support of Giulio Barazzetta, it is one of the most comprehensive retrospectives ever devoted to the ground-breaking Italian designer, architect and artist.

The exhibition forms part of a series of in-depth projects that look at the “great Italian masters of design,” as Stefano Boeri, president of the Triennale Milano, explains. The Triennale has previously featured shows on Enzo Mari, Ettore Sottsass, Achille Castiglioni and Pietro Lingeri. Boeri states, “Angelo Mangiarotto [was] an eclectic international personality who over the years carried out superb experiments in the fields of architecture, design, sculpture and infrastructure planning. The retrospective we are now putting on once again gives this key figure in the world of twentieth- century design his rightful place in history”.

Throughout his extensive career, which spanned from Milan to the United States to Japan, where he set up a studio in 1989, Mangiarotti was always learning, experimenting and exploring. Teaching was a fundamental part of his practice and he lectured regularly at leading institutions, and received numerous awards including the In/Arch Lombardia award (1962) and the ADI Golden Award for Lifetime Achievement (1994), among others.

The striking installation design was overseen by Renzo Piano, who was a student of Mangiarotto’s at the Politecnico University of Milan, and who worked with him on the 14th Triennale in 1968. The installation also pays homage to the artist, specifically with regards to his precise interpretation on the theme of space. Featuring objects, artworks, photographs, archives, drawings and models, visitors are welcomed into Mangiarotti’s visionary universe in which space, movement and freedom were part of the process. A large wall of drawings and studies reflects his strong artistic skills while elegant vitrines that extend the length of the large room feature prototypes and models that offer an insightful look at his constant experimentation, whether in materials, movement or structure. Collaboration was also an important part of his studio and he had a very open-minded approach to his practice, in which all disciplines, whether architecture, sculpture or design, could overlap and influence every project. Mirrors are placed on the ceiling to create a doubling effect, another play of space and depth that Mangiarotti no doubt would have appreciated.

As Marco Sammicheli, director of the Museo del Design Italiano of the Triennale Milano, says: “Angelo Mangiarotti is a key figure in Italian design and architecture. Some of his designs – including the 4D piece (UniFor EMME3 /Molteni&C, 1966), the IN 301 armchair (Zanotta, 1969), and the Giogali chandelier (Vistosi, 1967) – are part of the permanent collection of the Triennale. This exhibition is a further step on a journey that began in October 2021, when a study day was organised on the centenary of Mangiarotti’s birth. The aim was to promote his work also with regard to the influence he exerted in Japan, the United States and in Europe.”

Angelo Mangiarotti: When Structures Take Shape, was organised in collaboration with the Angelo Mangiarotti Foundation. An Italian/English catalogue, edited by Fulvio Irace, and published by Electa, features texts by numerous leading critics and experts, and a podcast created by Carlo Pastore and Giorgio Terruzzi is available for download.

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Angelo Mangiarotti: When Structures Take Shape is on view from January 27-April 23, 2023.