Wardrobes

Architect, born in Milan. He directed the magazines “Casabella”, “Modo” and “Domus”. Various monographs have come out in as many languages on his work and on that in collaboration with the Alchimia studio. He creates objects, furniture, environments, pictures, installations and architecture. He collaborates with international companies like Alessi, Philips, Cartier, Bisazza, Swatch, Herms, Venini and is a consultant for various industries even in the far East for what concerns the developing of their image and regarding design. He is honorary member of the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design of Jerusalem. In 1979 and in 1981 he was awarded the Gold Compass for design, in France he is “Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres”, he has been honoured by the Architectural League of New York and has received the Laurea Honoris Causa from the Polytechnic of Milan. He was professor of design at the Hochschule fur Angewandte Kunst in Vienna and is honorary professor of the Academic Council of Guangzhou Academy of fine Arts in China. His work can be found in various museums and private collections. His work, both theoretical and written, as well as his designs develop at a crossroad of art, design and architecture. They designed the Alessi Factories and offices and also the Museum of Casalingo at Omegna, he new Olympic swimming pool in Trieste, some underground stations and the restauration of Villa Comunale in Naples, the Byblos Art Hotel-Villa Amistà in Verona, the new offices of the Trend Group in Vicenza, the redevelopment of an industrial area with buildings designated for shopping facilities and for residence in the Bovisa area of Milan, a tower at Hiroshima in Japan, the Museum of Groningen in Holland, an area in Lugano in Swizerland, the building for the Madsack offices in Icheon, the new headquarters of the Triennale of Milan, the Exhibition complex in Incheon, Korea and other buildings in Europe and the U.S.A.

Enzo Mari born in Novara in 1932.He studied at the Accademia delle Belle Arti in Milan, and alongside his studies, in the fifties he had already developed an intense artistic production, with personal and collective exhibitions at galleries and contemporary art museums.At the same time, he also began his design work, at first as personal, formal research, and later in collaboration with numerous industrial companies, in the graphics and publishing, industrial products and exhibition fittings sectors.His work is internationally acclaimed, and considered to be among the most representative of Italian design. It is distinguished by constant research and experimentation with new product forms and meanings, often set in contrast with the traditional norms of industrial design.His unique position as an artist-cum-designer is documented in the many publications dedicated to his work, and in his participation in major institutions, including ADI – the Italian industrial design association, of which he was president from 1976 to 1979.He has three times been awarded the Compasso d’Oro, and his art works and objects are included in the collections of several contemporary art museums.In 1983 a major personal exhibition was held by the “Centro Studi e Archivio della Comunicazione” at the University of Parma, which conserves 8,500 designs and drawings from his archive, donated by him.His work has also included research and design in the field of street furniture (City of Milan, revamping of Piazza del Duomo) and education, in the form of conferences and series of lectures both in Italy and abroad, including courses given at the Institute of Art History of the University of Parma, and at the faculty of Architecture of the Politecnico in Milan.

Hansandfranz design studio, Konstantin Landuris and Horst Wittmann, was founded in 2006 and is situated in Munich, Germany. Their design principles are affected by their current studies at the Academy of Fine Arts Munich. The prevailing unconventional, artistic notion at the academy is influencing their work.

In 2006, the Danish architect Stine Gam and the Italian architect Enrico Fratesi founded the GamFratesi agency in Copenhagen. Stine Gam was born in 1975 in Copenhagen and finished her studies at the school of architecture in Aarhus, Denmark, in 2006. While still studying, she trained and worked as an architect in Italy and Tokyo. Enrico Fratesi, born in 1978 in Pesaro, finished his university studies in architecture in Florence and Ferrara in 2007. While still at university, he trained and worked as an architect in Stockholm and Denmark. Work by GamFratesi is structured around constant curious dialogue as a coherent synthesis of their respective cultures. They prefer the Scandinavian approach, where close familiarity with materials is linked to formal simplicity, with marked sensitive focus on conceptual research. GamFratesi have received significant awards including Vico Magistretti Award by De Padova, the Chicago Atheneum Museum of Architecture’s Good Design Award, Best Danish Designer 2012 by Bolig magasinet, ‘Walk the Plank award 2009’ and Best Danish Designer 2009 by RUM. Young Designer of the Year 2013, EDIDA (Elle Decoration International design award).

Gino Sarfatti (1912, 1985) was born in Venice on 16th September 1912. His father Riccardo, or “Dick”, ran a prosperous business network, while his mother Lucia, known as Micaela, belonged to the Zuccoli family from Trieste. Gino and his brother and sister enjoyed a childhood of economic wellbeing, immersed in the cosmopolitan atmosphere of the lagoon city. In 1930 he moved to Genoa to enrol in the Faculty of Aeronaval Engineering. Meanwhile, however, the political situation worsened dramatically. In 1935 his father was ruined by the sea embargo resulting from sanctions imposed on Italy through the League of Nations. At 23, Sarfatti was forced to interrupt his studies. He moved to Milan and founded Arteluce in February 1939. On 6th May of the same year he married Jolanda Marazza. Arteluce opened a sales outlet in Milan’s Corso Littorio, a street now called Corso Matteotti. In 1943, due to the racial laws and bombardments of Milan, he fled with his family to Switzerland. Immediately after the Liberation he returned to Milan and reorganized the company’s production. In 1950 he embarked on an important journey to the United States, and during his absence he entrusted the art direction of Arteluce to Vittoriano Viganò. In 1953 the shop was completely refurbished by Marco Zanuso and it became the centre of international attention. In 1954, the 1063 and 1065 models were awarded the “Grand Prix” at the X Triennale, and the 559 model won the ADI Compasso d’Oro. The following year, he won the prize again with the 1055 model. In 1962 Viganò designed a new Arteluce store in Milan’s Via dell Spiga. The great volume of business involved intense commitment. From 1949, retail production was joined by export operations and large-scale projects, the last of which included the Michelangelo and Raffaello cruise ships and the “cloudlike” Nuvola installation for the Teatro Regio in Turin. In late 1973, Sarfatti decided to sell Arteluce to Flos, and he retired to live in his house in Griante on Lake Como. He passed away on 6th March 1985.