Philippe Daverio's Posthumous Exhibition on Art and Design Opens in San Marino

A major exhibition conceived by the late critic Philippe Daverio, exploring the relationship between art and design in 20th-century Italy, has been reimagined for San Marino's Cultural Institutes. Originally developed over two years with the MA*GA Museum in Gallarate, the show now occupies two venues: Palazzo SUMS and the Galleria Nazionale. Running until January 11, 2026, the exhibition coincides with the 20th anniversary of the University of San Marino's Design department. It is not a comprehensive history but a curated selection of questions and challenges that shaped Italian design, balancing aesthetics and ethics. The show begins with the legacy of the modern movement and historical avant-gardes, then moves through the 1950s with the Movimento Arte Concreta and organic, spatialist forms enabled by plastics. The 1960s section highlights a new domestic taste with essential, sinuous forms. The 1970s feature Radical Design and feminist collectives rejecting authorship for collective dynamics. The 1980s and 1990s conclude with postmodern, ironic design and the international triumph of Made in Italy.