ARTFEED — Contemporary Art Intelligence

Italian design exhibition 'The Shape of Ideas' opens at Instituto Tomie Ohtake in São Paulo

exhibition · 2026-05-05

The Fondazione Cirulli presents 'The shape of ideas: post war Italian design' at the Instituto Tomie Ohtake in São Paulo, Brazil, running until February 5. The exhibition explores the relationship between industry and craftsmanship, featuring 170 works by renowned designers such as Bruno Munari, Erberto Carboni, Lorenzo Castellaro, and Gio Ponti. Items on display include drawings, photographs, sketches, coffee machines, and advertising posters for Campari, Fiat, and Pirelli, as well as iconic projects like the Lambretta. The private archive, founded in 1984 in New York, offers a multidisciplinary perspective on 20th-century Italian art and history from 1900 to 1970.

Key facts

  • Exhibition titled 'The shape of ideas: post war Italian design'
  • Organized by Fondazione Cirulli
  • Venue: Instituto Tomie Ohtake in Faria Lima, São Paulo
  • Runs until February 5
  • 170 works on display
  • Features designers Bruno Munari, Erberto Carboni, Lorenzo Castellaro, Gio Ponti
  • Includes advertising posters for Campari, Fiat, Pirelli
  • Fondazione Cirulli founded in 1984 in New York

Entities

Artists

  • Bruno Munari
  • Erberto Carboni
  • Lorenzo Castellaro
  • Gio Ponti

Institutions

  • Fondazione Cirulli
  • Instituto Tomie Ohtake

Locations

  • São Paulo
  • Brazil
  • Faria Lima
  • New York

Sources