Andrea Branzi (b.1938) is an Italian architect and designer who was born in Florence. He currently lives and works in Milan. He was a professor and chairman of the Polytechnic University of Milan’s School of Interior Design until 2009.
Biography
His theoretical furniture is well-known. He formed Archizoom Associati, an avant-garde group in Florence, in 1966 (with Paolo Deganello and others) that brought the irony of 1960s Anti-Design to furniture design.
He worked for the CDM (Consulenti Design Milano) company. He co-authored the two-volume Decorattivo 1 and 2 on environmental design.
In 1973, he founded his studio in Milan.
He took part in Studio Alchimia’s exhibitions in the early 1980s, a proto-Memphis collective exploring metaphysical dimensions of architecture.
In Casabella, he wrote about avant-garde architecture from 1972 to 1975.
From 1983 to 1987, he was managing editor of Mode and, for a time, president of Domus; he co-organized and co-wrote the catalogue for the 1977 ‘Il design italiano degli anni 50,’ the first major retrospective exhibition of Italian postwar design, at Naviglio, Milan.
From 1982 to 1983, he was a professor at the Universita di Palermo’s Instituto del Disegno Industriale, the architecture school. He taught at universities and schools in Italy, the Netherlands, France, Japan, Argentina, Brazil, and the United States as a visiting professor and lecturer.
Books
Domus Academy, Milan, educational director since 1983. Domestic Animals (1987) is his attempt to create a new relationship between man and his belongings. He argues that a sofa or a light fixture can be thought of as a household pet.
Other books by him include The Colors of Energy (1975), Pre-Synthetic Colors (1976), Environmental Colors (1977), Moderno—Postmoderno—Millennario (1980), Good and the Metropolis, La Casa Calda: Esperienze del Nuovo Disegno Italiano (1982), and (with Michele De Lucci) Il Concept Italiano degli anni 50. (1979). See Amazon for more books by Andrea Branzi.
Memphis
Memphis commissions included the 1982 Gritti bookcase, Century divan, and silver sauce boat, the 1983 Beach chaise longue, the 1985 Magnolia bookcase, the 1987 Andrea chaise longue, and the 1988 Foglia electro-luminescent wall lamp. Other designs included Rossi e Arcandi’s 1982 Labrador silver sauce dish, Zabro’s 1985 Animali Domestici seating, Zanotta’s 1986 Berlino couch, Zabro’s 1986 Frande Tapetto Ibrido chairs, and Zanotta’s 1989 Iudola desk.
Exhibitions
He took part in the Triennali di Milano in 1968 (XIV), 1979 (XVI), and 1983 (XVII), serving as general coordinator for the (XV) session, as well as the Biennali di Venezia in 1976, 1978, and 1980.
In 1981, he took part in Memphis’ first show. Premi Compasso d’Oro in 1979 (primary concept research) and 1987. Zanotta’s Iudola bench debuted at the 1989 Salone del Mobile in Milan. Animali Domestici debuted at the 1991 Milan exhibition “Mobili Italiani 1961-1991: Le Varie Eta dei Linguaggi.” Work has been seen at the New York Museum of Modern Art, the Lijbanam Centrum in Rotterdam, the CAYC in Buenos Aires, the Musée St. Pierre in Lyons, and the Palazzo dei Diamanti in Ferrara, as well as in several group exhibits.
Andrea Branzi in-Store
Sources
Andrea Branzi | Artnet. http://www.artnet.com/artists/andrea-branzi/
Byars, M., & Riley, T. (2004). The design encyclopedia. Laurence King Publishing.
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He established an office in Padua, where he became a founding member of Gruppo N in 1959. He experimented with programmed art and collaborated with Gruppo Zero in Germany, Groupe de Recherche d’Art Visuel in Paris (then known as Motus), and Gruppo T in Milan. Read More →
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Emilio Pucci (1914 – 1992) Italian fashion designer
A leading figure in Italian fashion in the 1950s and 1960s, Pucci studied for a year at the University of Milan. In 1935 he travelled to the United States where he also studied, returning to the University of FlorenceRead More →
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Marcello Minale (1938 – 2000) Italian designer
He worked as a designer at the Finnish advertising agency Taucker and as an art director at Mackkinointi Uiherjuuri. He was the design director at the Young and Rubicam advertising agency in London until 1964. He founded a design firm with Brian Tattersfield in 1964. Read More →
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Giancarlo Pozzi (1924 – ) Italian Industrial Designer
Pozzi’s professional career began in 1950. He worked with architect Alberto Rosselli from 1963 to 1967. From 1970 to 1974, he collaborated with Achile Castiglioni and the Ponti/Fornaroli/Rosselli Studio.Read More →
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The Wit and Humour of the Gibigiana Table Lamp
Castiglioni’s approach to design is characterised by wit and humour, which is portrayed here by a shape that resembles an animal or bird. The Gibigiana is a table light that may be adjusted. It includes a dimmer and produces reflected light. Read More →
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‘The New Domestic Landscape’ – MoMA’s ambitious design show 1972
THE NEW DOMESTIC LANDSCAPE was one of The Museum of Modern Art’s most ambitious design shows. The exhibition, directed and built by Emilio Ambasz, Curator of Design in the Museum’s Department of Architecture and Design, focused on current design trends in Italy with 180 items for everyday use and 11 environments commissioned by the Museum.Read More…
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Flavio Conti Italian architect and designer
Flavio Conti is an Italian architect and designer; born Legnago, Verona; active Milan. He studied architecture, Politecnico di Milano toRead More →
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Michele Provinciali (1921 – 2009) Italian Industrial Designer
He received the ADI’s Compasso d’Oro Award for his career in 2008. Michele Provinciali provides an alternative trend to the late rationalist approach typical of the postwar period in every art form. He is expressive, poetic, experimental, abnormal, and refined in every art form.Read More →
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Luigi Massoni (b.1930) Italian Industrial Designer
After a period of training at the Collettivo di Architettura in Milan and his first professional experiences between 1953 and 1955, he began his design career by making the cocktail shaker (1957, with Carlo Mazzeri) and the Serie 5 containers, which are still in production, for AlessiRead More →
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Enzo Frateilo (1914 – ) Italian Designer – Encyclopedia of Design
Enzo Frateili was an Italian designer born in Rome and active in Milan. Frateili began his professional career in 1955. In the early 50s, he worked at Stile Industrial. In 1962 he was the Italian correspondent to the journal form. His books included Archiektur und Komfort (1967) and Design e Civiltà della Machina (1969).
Fabio Lenci (1935 – ) Italian Designer – Encyclopedia of Design
Fabio Lenci (1935 – ) is an Italian Designer. He received his design education in Rome. He began his professional career in 1966. He set up a shop for contemporary furniture in Rome. He began to explore the use of new plastics and manufacturing techniques to produce his furniture designs, including his Chain armchair with suspended upholstered rolls between plate-glass sides.
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