Mangiarotti

From the 50s Angelo Mangiarotti has been one of the protagonists in the international architecture, design, and sculpture scene. nMore than 100 projects, conceived in 50 years of professional activity, are presented in this book through original documents, often previously unpublished, from the Archivio Studio Mangiarotti in Milan. Drawings, models, design objects, photographs and sculptures are the evidences of Mangiarotti’s search for the object’s intrinsic aesthetic quality as an “objective” characteristic of its very material. nAs a result of the combination of aesthetic sensibility and deep knowledge of the material, Mangiarotti’s work mixes architecture, design and sculpture: many of his architecture projects have a sculpting value and a great attention is dedicated to the industrial production aspects of every design object. nThe importance of the “concreteness” of his work is also clearly visible in many of his projects, that are conceived so that the final user can have the possibility to make a personal intervention onto the object or the building. nnThis book features texts by Beppe Finessi (architect, professor at the Politecnico in Milan), Toyo Ito (among the protagonists of the contemporary architecture scene) and Marco Meneguzzo (art critic and professor at the Accademia di Brera in Milan); each project is presented through short notes by Matteo Pirola. nBookdesign is by Italo Lupi (formerly art-director of Domus and director of Abitare, awarded many prizes such as the Compasso d’Oro and the Honorary Royal Designer for Industry in London): the more than 250 illustrations, many of them previously unpublished, accompany the text in a clear and precise layout. This double reading level that presents Mangiarotti’s projects at their best. nnThe exhibition “Angelo Mangiarotti. Sculpting/Building”, supported by Provincia di Mantova and Agape, is on display at the Casa del Mantegna in Mantova from September 12th to November 8th 2009. Curator of the exhibition is Beppe Finessi, graphic layout by Italo Lupi and interior design by Benedini Associati. nnAngelo Mangiarotti (Milan, 1921) is one of the most important characters of Italian architecture and design scene in 20th century. He always put his professional job side by side with an intense teaching activity in several universities in Italy and abroad. For his work he has been awarded numerous prizes among which a Compasso d’Oro.