The Milan Triennial inaugurates the Museum of Italian Design
“This is the best week of the year.” With this, the 58th edition of Design Week—which runs from April 8 to 14—commenced in Milan, the world’s design capital and infamous design fair headquarters. Concurrently, the new Museum of Italian Design opened its doors, founded by the director of the Triennial, Stefano Boeri. The institution, which will be overseen by Joseph Grima, presented a permanent exhibition of the most emblematic and representative Italian design pieces. The enormous success of the preview on April 7 drew professionals from the sector, as well as enthusiasts of all generations, to Giovanni Muzio’s magnificent 1300m2 Palazzo dell’arte. Guests meandered through the works, chronologically laid out from 1946 to 1981: Gio Ponti’s Superleggera chair, the Olivetti Lettera 22, Bruno Munari’s Falkland lamp, Gufram’s Pratone lounge chair, Pino Tovaglia’s Giotto calendar, Ettore Sottsass’s Ultrafragola mirror-lamp… Moreover, the museum cleverly transformed a 1966 folding telephone into an audioguide, where visitors can use the handset to listen to 25 designers discussing their creations.
