Alessandro Mendini retrospective at Villa Giulia in Verbania

The exhibition 'Alessandro Mendini. Cose. Stanze come mondi' at Villa Giulia in Verbania, curated by Loredana Parmesani, runs until September 27. It condenses the career of Alessandro Mendini (1931-2019) into seven rooms of the 1847 villa built by Bernardino Branca. Each room is anchored by an iconic object chosen with Mendini's daughters Elisa and Fulvia, expanding to 130 works including pieces, drawings, paintings, and texts. Key objects include the 'Poltrona di Paglia' (1974), emblematic of the radical design period, and the 'Poltrona di Proust' (1978), a bergère transformed with pointillist-style painting. The 'Mendinigrafo' (1985) represents Mendini's rehabilitation of ornament. One room focuses on Mendini's collaboration with Alessi, which began in the late 1970s through the magazine Modo. Highlights include the 'Cento Vasi' (1992), a single white ceramic vase decorated by 100 artists. Mendini's domestic theme is explored through his writings and his childhood home at Casa Museo Boschi Di Stefano in Milan.