Gae Aulenti: Italy's Worst Architect?
In a provocative article on Artribune, critic Luigi Prestinenza Puglisi argues that Gae Aulenti is the worst Italian architect, despite her widespread acclaim. He cites her lack of spatial sensitivity, poor execution, and disregard for context, exemplified by her renovation of the Gare d'Orsay and Palazzo Grassi. He contrasts her with other female architects like Lina Bo Bardi and Cini Boeri, and critiques the influence of her mentor Ernesto Nathan Rogers.
Key facts
- Gae Aulenti is celebrated as Italy's most important postwar architect.
- She designed the Gare d'Orsay museum installation.
- She received the Legion d'Honneur and Medaglia d'Oro ai Benemeriti della Cultura Italiana.
- Her clients included the Agnelli family.
- She was a member of the Accademia di San Luca and president of the Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera.
- She was assistant to Giuseppe Samonà at IUAV and to Ernesto Nathan Rogers at Politecnico di Milano.
- She participated in the 1972 MoMA exhibition 'Italy: The New Domestic Landscape'.
- Critic Luigi Prestinenza Puglisi calls her the least gifted student of Rogers.
Entities
Artists
- Gae Aulenti
- Franco Purini
- Vittorio Gregotti
- Paolo Portoghesi
- Mario Botta
- Giuseppe Samonà
- Ernesto Nathan Rogers
- Giorgio Grassi
- Aldo Rossi
- Fulvio Irace
- Emilio Ambasz
- Reyner Banham
- Valerio Paolo Mosco
- Carlo Scarpa
- Franco Albini
- Guido Canali
- Lina Bo Bardi
- Cini Boeri
- Franca Helg
- Benedetta Tagliabue
- Maria Giuseppina Grasso Cannizzo
- Guendalina Salimei
- Teresa Sapey
- Claudia Clemente
- Leonardo Ricci
- Luigi Pellegrin
- Luigi Prestinenza Puglisi
- Cherubino Gambardella
- Claes Oldenburg
- Giancarlo De Carlo
- Luigi Moretti
- Michel Pellegrin
- Guido Canella
- Bruno Zevi
- Manfredo Tafuri
- Michele De Lucchi
Institutions
- Artribune
- Gare d'Orsay
- Accademia di San Luca
- Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera
- IUAV
- Politecnico di Milano
- Casabella
- MoMA
- Palazzo Grassi
- Pinacoteca Agnelli
- Il Sole 24 Ore
- Second University of Naples
- Musée d'Orsay
- Palazzo Branciforte
- Olivetti
- Triennale di Milano
Locations
- Italy
- New York
- United States
- Tokyo
- Japan
- Venice
- Naples
- Turin
- Paris
- France
- Milan
- Palermo
- Piazzale Cadorna
- Piazza Dante
- Cavour metro station