Fondazione Giovanni Michelucci. La casa studio dell’architetto a Villa “Il Roseto”
Book edited by
Alessandro Masetti and Nadia Musumeci
Fondazione Michelucci Press
2021
The volume Fondazione Giovanni Michelucci. La casa-studio dell’architetto a Villa “Il Roseto”, co-edited with Nadia Musumeci, brings together the results of several long-term research projects devoted to surveying the cultural heritage of the Fondazione Giovanni Michelucci. Published as part of the initiatives marking the thirtieth anniversary of Michelucci’s death, the volume focuses on Villa “Il Roseto” in Fiesole, the architect’s house-studio from the 1950s and the home of his Foundation, reconstructing its history and documenting the heritage preserved there.
As co-editor, in addition to contributing to the volume’s editorial development, I wrote the chapters Gli arredi and Il patrimonio artistico, devoted to two of the main collections housed in the house-studio and presented here for the first time through a systematic survey.
The Furniture Collection
The chapter reconstructs Giovanni Michelucci’s work as a furniture designer through the collection preserved at Villa “Il Roseto”, tracing its development from his early work in the 1920s to his final experiments in the 1980s. Prototypes, unique pieces, and serially produced furniture reveal the evolution of his design language and the crucial role of direct collaboration with craftsmen. The research also relates the objects preserved in the villa to Michelucci’s different experiences in furniture production, from his collaboration with La Suppellettile and Galleria Vigna Nuova to his work with Poltronova and the Fantacci family. The house-studio emerges as a place where the furniture is not simply preserved but continues to be used, bearing witness to the connection between design ideas and everyday life.
The Art Collection
The second chapter reconstructs the formation of the art collection at Villa “Il Roseto”, which developed over the course of Michelucci’s life, largely through works received from artists with whom he came into contact. The collection is therefore interpreted as evidence of the connections the architect established with twentieth-century artistic culture. Following the works chronologically, the text highlights professional collaborations and encounters that contributed to his conception of architectural space as open to artists’ contributions.
The book is in Italian only. If you would like to buy a copy, please get in touch with Fondazione Giovanni Michelucci