Ballo & Ballo: The Photographers Who Shaped Italian Design
A new exhibition at Milan's Castello Sforzesco, 'Ballo&Ballo. Fotografia e design a Milano, 1956-2005' (until November 3), celebrates the work of Aldo and Marirosa Ballo, the photography duo who defined the visual language of Italian industrial design from the 1950s onward. Curated by Silvia Paoli, the show draws from the studio's archives donated by Marirosa in 2023. The Ballos collaborated with leading designers and architects—Gae Aulenti, Bruno Munari, Joe Colombo, Massimo Vignelli—and with companies such as Alessi, Artemide, Olivetti, Danese, and Driade. Their meticulous, staged photographs elevated everyday objects into iconic images, appearing in magazines like Domus, Stile Industria, and Abitare. In 1972, Emilio Ambasz commissioned them for the MoMA exhibition 'Italy: The New Domestic Landscape.' The catalogue includes essays by Alberto Saibene, Paola Proverbio, Studio Azzurro, and Silvia Paoli.
Key facts
- Exhibition 'Ballo&Ballo. Fotografia e design a Milano, 1956-2005' runs until November 3 at Castello Sforzesco, Milan.
- Curated by Silvia Paoli, who is also conservator of the Civico Archivio Fotografico.
- Marirosa Ballo donated the studio archives to the Civico Archivio Fotografico in 2023.
- Aldo and Marirosa Ballo married in 1953 and began collaborating with Domus in 1954.
- Their studio was located in Via Calco 2, near San Vittore prison.
- They worked with designers Gae Aulenti, Bruno Munari, Joe Colombo, Massimo Vignelli, and others.
- Clients included Alessi, Artemide, Olivetti, Danese, and Driade.
- Emilio Ambasz commissioned them for the 1972 MoMA exhibition 'Italy: The New Domestic Landscape.'
Entities
Artists
- Aldo Ballo
- Marirosa Ballo Toscani
- Gae Aulenti
- Bruno Munari
- Joe Colombo
- Massimo Vignelli
- Max Huber
- Bob Noorda
- Pino Tovaglia
- Giancarlo Iliprandi
- Mario De Biasi
- Giorgio Colombo
- Lanfranco Colombo
- Gabriele Basilico
- Oliviero Toscani
- Fedele Toscani
- Guido Ballo
- Gianni Colombo
- Emilio Ambasz
- Silvia Paoli
- Alberto Saibene
- Paola Proverbio
- Studio Azzurro
- Alessandra Quattordio
Institutions
- Castello Sforzesco
- Civico Archivio Fotografico
- MoMA
- Domus
- Stile Industria
- Abitare
- Ottagono
- Casa Vogue
- Danese
- Driade
- Alessi
- Artemide
- Olivetti
- Tecno
- La Rinascente
- Compasso d'Oro
- Rotofoto
- Accademia di Brera
- Politecnico di Milano
- Il Diaframma
- SilvanaEditoriale
- Artribune
Locations
- Milan
- Italy
- New York
- United States
- Via Calco 2
- San Vittore
- piazza San Fedele
- Brera