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Astoria chair by Matteo Thun, 1983; Fantoni vase, glass vase by Venini (Photo by Kim Frost)
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Tuscana chairs by Piero Sartogo for Saporiti Italia, 1986, configured as a loveseat; metal table by Achille Castiglioni for Zanotta; vases by Fantoni (Photo by Kim Frost)
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Kandissi sofa by Alessandro Mendini, 1978 (Photo by Kim Frost)
At first, the concept of exhibiting postmodern and modern Italian furnishings in a classic Monument Avenue mansion seems counterintuitive. After all, how can these quirky pieces — furniture, lighting, Murano glass, ceramics and works on paper — possibly look right in the stately rooms of The Branch Museum of Architecture and Design? But as you walk through “Sixty Years of Italian Design,” opening on July 12, you’ll find the juxtaposition quite striking.
The exhibition is curated by Maurice Beane, a Richmond-based collector and internationally known expert in 20th-century decorative arts and postmodern design aesthetics. It features more than 85 examples of Italian modern and postmodern decorative arts designs created by some of Italy’s most iconic designers — including Ettore Sottsass, Osvaldo Borsani, Cesare Lacca, Gio Ponti, Gaetano Pesce and Joe Colombo — between 1940 and 2000; ranging in style from Borsani’s sleek, classic modern designs to the exuberant, irreverent designs by members of the Memphis Milano and Studio Alchimia design groups. More than 90 percent of the pieces in the exhibition are on loan from private, and rarely seen, collections of Richmonders such as Frances and the late Sydney Lewis.
Maurice Beane curated the exhibition. (Photo by Adam Dubrueler)
The Memphis Milano group, founded in Milan in 1981, created furniture, fabrics, ceramics, glass and metal objects in the postmodern style — American architect/designer Michael Graves was a member — and drew inspiration from art deco, pop art, ’50s kitsch and futuristic themes to create quirky, colorful and often asymmetrical pieces. (Fun fact: The founders of the Memphis Milano group took their name from Bob Dylan’s song “Stuck Inside of Mobile With the Memphis Blues Again,” which was playing during their inaugural meeting.) Studio Alchimia, a Milan-based, avant-garde experimental design group founded in the late ’70s, worked outside the constraints of mass production and the dictates of manufacturers. “They challenged the perceptions of good design with pieces that elicited strong reactions,” Beane says. “You either love them or hate them.”
“In the ’80s, the Lewises were among the biggest collectors of Memphis Milano and often found themselves bidding against Karl Lagerfeld and David Bowie for important pieces,” he says, adding that, “The Lewises used the pieces in their home. I’ve been told that many of their guests were shocked when they first encountered the furnishings.”
“It’s fun for us to show something that makes people think of design in a different way,” says Penny Fletcher, executive director of The Branch. “We hope that these avant-garde pieces will reawaken appreciation for what the Italians achieved, breaking through new frontiers to take design in a whole new direction.”
A furniture designer and architectural metal worker himself, Beane began collecting postmodern pieces in the 1980s. He says that the 1980s television show “Miami Vice” introduced him to the high style of Italian designer clothing, furniture and cars.
“We are hoping that this exhibit will inspire young people to get back to reading and collecting design,” Beane says.
“Sixty Years of Italian Design,” July 12-Sept. 15. Admission $5. 2501 Monument Ave., 804-655-6055.
