Mondo Mendini

For its 25th anniversary and in honor of its designer Alessandro Mendini, the Groninger Museum presents the exhibition Mondo Mendini – The World of Alessandro Mendini.

The show, created and designed by the architect shortly before his recent passing, includes not only his works but also those of artists who inspired him, with whom he felt he had elective affinities.

From the classic figures of modern art like Paul Signac, Wassily Kandinsky, Henri Matisse and Oskar Schlemmer, to designers like Theo van Doesburg and Gerrit Rietveld, Italian designers like Gio Ponti, Michele De Lucchi and Gaetano Pesce, all the way to the recent paintings of the American artist Peter Halley.

Over two years ago the Groninger Museum offered Alessandro Mendini complete freedom to design an exhibition on his work. The architect rose to the occasion, creating a major exhibition for "his" museum.

Now Mondo Mendini provides a voyage through the visual arts, architecture and design, represented by a fine selection of over 200 objects that belong to different ambits, from jewelry to architectural models, everyday useful objects to large sculptures.

In Mendini’s often colorful, decorative works with their surprising forms, imagination reigns over function.

The exhibition forcefully conveys the creativity and sense of humor of the designer, who made the Groninger Museum into a reference point recognized all over the world.

Alessandro M. - Groningen by Alessi is an icon to celebrate the exhibition Mondo Mendini.

An object-personality among the most playful of the Enciclopedia Alessi, the Alessandro M. corkscrew designed by Alessandro Mendini in 2003 takes on a new multicolored guise as a tribute to its author and to the 25th anniversary of the Groninger Museum.

For the occasion of the exhibition, an exclusive special version of just 17 pieces of the Amuleto lamp by Ramun will also be presented.

Made entirely by hand by the master craftsman Bang-ung Song, Amuleto Pearl is a tribute to the age-old Korean technique of carving in mother-of-pearl.