Cesare Leonardi: From Industrial Design to A-Serial Systems in Modena

The Galleria Civica di Palazzo Santa Margherita in Modena presents a monographic exhibition on Cesare Leonardi (b. 1935), an architect, designer, photographer, and artist who never left his hometown. Curated by Andrea Cavani and Giulio Orsini, the show traces Leonardi's evolution from industrial design to a-systemic creation. In the 1960s, Leonardi gained international fame with fiberglass pieces like the Dondolo, Poltrona Nastro, and Poltrona Eco, now in MoMA, Vitae Design Museum, and V&A. The 1973 oil crisis ended production of his fiberglass objects, leading him to abandon industrial manufacturing. After a decade, he developed 'Solidi'—a-serial objects made from cheap concrete formwork timber, each unique yet procedurally related. The exhibition also covers his park designs, from Parco Amendola in Modena to the SRA (Struttura Reticolare Acentrata) methodology, and his photographic shift from single perfect images to composite sequences. Materials come from his studio-archive in Viale Po, protected since 2011 and managed by the Archivio Architetto Cesare Leonardi (AACL). The show follows a preview in Genoa titled 'Cesare Leonardi: Strutture' curated by J. Grima and A. Bagnato.