Barzio to Honor Design Legend Maddalena De Padova with Diffuse Exhibition
The municipality of Barzio, Italy, will host a diffuse exhibition next summer dedicated to Maddalena De Padova (1928–2016), marking five years since her death. The event will showcase design along the town's streets, offering a chance to explore the Condominio De Padova, a striking residential building she commissioned in the early 1960s. Designed by Studio Progettisti Associati di Milano with engineer Bernardo Tommasini, the seven-story structure features innovative radiant heating, exposed brick, and large glazed areas. De Padova's own penthouse apartment, curated by architect Giorgio Host Ivessich, reflects Scandinavian influences with light woods, simple furnishings, and pieces by Castiglioni and Thonet. The exhibition aims to highlight De Padova's legacy as a key figure in Italian design, known for importing Nordic aesthetics and organizing the 1984 Shaker furniture show.
Key facts
- Maddalena De Padova was born in Barzio in 1928 and died in 2016.
- She studied at the University of Grenoble in 1948.
- She married Fernando De Padova, a ski lift worker.
- The Condominio De Padova was built in the early 1960s by Studio Progettisti Associati di Milano.
- Engineer Bernardo Tommasini played a primary role in the project.
- The building has seven floors above ground and one basement.
- It features an early radiant heating system with ceiling pipes.
- De Padova's apartment was designed by Giorgio Host Ivessich, a protégé of Gio Ponti.
- De Padova organized a notable exhibition on Shaker furniture in 1984.
- The diffuse exhibition in Barzio will take place next summer.
Entities
Artists
- Maddalena De Padova
- Fernando De Padova
- Luca De Padova
- Valeria De Padova
- Bernardo Tommasini
- Giorgio Host Ivessich
- Gio Ponti
- Vico Magistretti
- Alvar Aalto
- Castiglioni
Institutions
- Studio Progettisti Associati di Milano
- University of Grenoble
- Polytechnic University of Milan
- Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne
- Université Catholique de Louvain
- Artribune
- De Padova
Locations
- Barzio
- Lecco
- Italy
- Milan
- Copenhagen
- Denmark
- Maine
- United States
- Corso Venezia
- Grigne