‘Gianfranco Frattini: Ieri Oggi Domani’ exhibition – Photo by Max Pescio via IG, follow @gianfrancofrattini.
Design – Inaugurated during Milan Design Week and on show until May 21, the exhibition Gianfranco Frattini: Ieri Oggi Domani (Yesterday Today Tomorrow) is set in the majestic halls of Palazzo Arese Borromeo at Cesano Maderno in the industrious Brianza province North of Milan [Map].
- RELATED STORIES: Read more about Milan Design Week 2023 on Archipanic.
Photo by Max Pescio via IG, follow @gianfrancofrattini.
“As a designer, I was born in the workshop; my father used to say.” Architect and curator Emanuela Frattini of Studio and Archive Gianfranco Frattini told Archipanic’s contributor Antonella Galimberti. “Artisans and carpenters from Brianza were his allies in his designs’ intellectual, creative, and physical creation.”
Photo by Max Pescio via IG, follow @gianfrancofrattini.
The exhibition highlights Frattini’s timeless work featuring some of his great classics, such as the Boualum lamp he designed with Livio Castiglioni, the Maestro table for Acerbis, as well as pieces by Cassina, CB2, Ceccotti, Poltrona Frau, Arteluce, Fontana Arte, and more.
Photo by Max Pescio via IG, follow @gianfrancofrattini.
The exhibition also comprises a selection of original drawings and architectural projects thanks to the collaboration with CSAC – Centro Studi e Archivio della Comunicazione in Parma and Milan’s Politecnico University.
Photo by Max Pescio via IG, follow @gianfrancofrattini.
Born in 1926, Gianfranco Frattini opened his own studio in Milan after working for his professor and mentor, Gio Ponti. Cassina and Artemide were some of his first clients. In 1956 he co-founded the Italian Association for Industrial Design and joined the board of Triennale Milano.
Photo by Max Pescio via IG, follow @gianfrancofrattini.
His great passion for craftsmanship led to a strong friendship and collaboration with ebony carpenter Pierluigi Ghianda. Some of his most iconic works are part of international design museums’ permanent collections, such as Triennale, MoMA, and the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum. Frattini passed away in 2004.
Portrait of Gianfranco Frattini – Courtesy of Studio-Archivio Gianfranco Frattini.
“The exhibition shines a light on his work for collectors, design lovers, and a new generation of designers that still look at and uses his drawings as he wished. He would (secretly) be quite proud of it.” Concludes Emanuela Frattini.
Maestro table by Gianfranco Frattini for Acerbis – ©Lorenzo Cappellini Baio.
This year, Tacchini re-edits the Lina armchair, while a renowned Danish brand will reintroduce two table lamps from the ‘70s. Welcome back Gianfranco!
Lina armchair by Gianfranco Frattini for Tacchini – Courtesy of Studio-Archivio Gianfranco Frattini.
Boalum lamp by Gianfranco Frattini e Livio Castiglioni for Artemide – Photo by Artemide.
