From a private home in Milan – Sotheby’s – Palazzo Serbelloni – Corso Venezia 16 – Milan – Auction 18/19 April 2018 – on view 14/17 April 2018
“When we used the word design we did so with great respect, because it indicated a new way of thinking and building: it was a word used only by professionals, trying to operate in a dull, difficult context, to explain new methods that could be applied to industry.”
This is how Osvaldo Borsani, architect and designer, driven by a focus on advanced technology and innovation, expressed the meaning of the word design. The interaction with Lucio Fontana was a natural result of a shared desire to experiment with new paths and solutions, to make interiors that would be functional and artistic at the same time.
The example offered for auction is one of the finest collaborations between Borsani and Fontana. The central idea is based on aesthetic principles shared by architects, painters, sculptors, decorators and designers, leading to the renewal of art and a new conception of living space.
Besides the already well-known and well-documented cases of Casa Melandri, Casa Gentilini and Casa Maffioli – among others – Sotheby’s presents one of the results of this intense collaboration.
The project of the entire private residence was commissioned in 1954 to Borsani’s studio and was enhanced by the collaboration with Lucio Fontana, who contributed the Arlecchini wall decorations and the Concetto Spaziale ceiling, a work that dominates the space, setting its visual tone, and is one of the largest existing pieces made by the artist.
For more info: tel. 02295001 – Sotheby’s
