ARTS / ART
Birth of Italian aesthetics in furniture and design
Home of quality
In 1925, in Paris, during the International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts (Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes), the first major international exhibition after the war and the birthplace of the iconic Art Deco, Italy received the special jury prize for ceramics, awarded to Gio Ponti for the white porcelain urn by Richard Ginori, which was linked to classical reminiscences ranging from Vitruvius to Palladio.
Ponti, an artist enamored with architecture, was the forerunner of Italian design, which, in these hundred years, has taken on a hyperbolic dimension. "In the relationship between art and industry, art is the category. Industry is the condition," stated the artist-architect, a relationship that, a hundred years later, has become the glue for Tongji University in Shanghai during an event in the autumn of 2024 dedicated to Italian design, with the participation of 35 companies in the luxury, automotive, food, and industrial machinery sectors.
The exhibition, titled Italian Design: Champions & Hidden Champions, a temporary museum spotlighting Italian industrial brilliance in China, is the translation of what Italy has represented and continues to represent in the field of design, a leading role that was also recognized by the World Design Cities Conference, organized by UNESCO and the Shanghai municipal government.
"Italian design has a deep soul that finds its roots in the search for raw materials and semi-finished products that continuously challenge technical, technological, and artistic possibilities, and are essential and integral parts of the design result," explained Avril Accolla, professor and director of the Research Lab of Sustainable Business and Cultural Bridge at the Tongji University and curator of the museum. "Another fundamental component is the respect, trust, and dignity recognized in the company technicians who are protagonists of co-design activities."
The philosophy shared by the 35 companies and their leading products was to showcase an Italy capable of combining and blending functionality, beauty, and innovation across different sectors. But another significant aspect also emerged: The strategy of adaptability to the culture and requirements of the host country while maintaining the standards of Italian quality.
Over the years, Italy has managed to build visibility and an identity in the Chinese market with these companies that played a key role in this important exhibition. "No less important are the partnerships in the B2B and B2C value chain that are intrinsic to the entrepreneurial DNA of Italian SMEs, which is rooted in a millennia-old culture of craftsmanship production," added Accolla. "This is why there is an almost obsessive focus on quality, details, human capital, customer care, and flexibility, from which Italian uniqueness derives, as well as the willingness to meet customer desires."
For the average Chinese consumer, the effort to represent the Italian value chain in this market has led to an immediate recognition of a brand, often identified by a word that is transliterated into Chinese. This is a process that cannot be taken for granted in a country like China, which is relatively young in terms of consumption of foreign products.
Just over 30 years ago, some Italian design companies made their timid appearance in Chinese cities including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen. Over these decades, these operators have shown consistency and resilience, with a rooted presence both in production and retail, which has paid off in terms of brand visibility.
In the exhibition, the companies were grouped by B2C markets to reinforce the idea of the "Italian Way" in the value chain, in which the champions are paired with the hidden champions, often the suppliers, in a partnership that makes Italian production unique, excellent, and global winners. Thus, the ultra-famous brands Ferrari, Alfa Romeo, Ducati, and Vespa Piaggio from the transportation and automotive sectors were presented alongside industrial leaders such as Pirelli, Brembo, Ufi Filters, and FPT Industrial. In the home and office sector, where Cassina, Zanotta, Poltrona Frau, B&B Italia, Flos, and Natuzzi reign, there were also Iguzzini, Carel, and Futurasun. In the lifestyle sector, brands such as Tecnica, Blizzard, Nordica, Itema, Santoni, Fmmg, and Moleskine appeared, while Campari, Ferrero, Delonghi, along with Goglio and Pelliconi, were featured in food & beverage.
The pairing of art and industry becomes more evident for certain categories or products, such as those by Brembo, a leader in braking systems, which won the Compasso d'Oro (ADI) twice, in 2004 and 2020, for their innovative brake disc and ceramic-carbon technology and the Formula E braking system. Similarly, Pirelli was the first company to offer a range of FSC-certified tires for motorsport and Formula 1. In the furniture and accessories sector, it is worth remembering among the historical pieces exhibited, the Cassina Soriana armchair designed by Afra and Tobia Scarpa in 1969, the Flos MayDay lamp designed by Konstantin Grcic in 1999, an idea of minimalist elegance that won the Compasso d'Oro in 2021, and the Polso lamp by IGuzzini, in collaboration with Gio Ponti, a figure who continues to play an important role in this exhibition.
"The value base of the expressive structure and choice behavior is more aligned with contemporary and international tastes, resulting from massive media exposure," concluded Accolla, underscoring an impression from the Milan Furniture Fair held from April 8 to 13, an international showcase for the success of Italian design.
Ponti, an artist enamored with architecture, was the forerunner of Italian design, which, in these hundred years, has taken on a hyperbolic dimension. "In the relationship between art and industry, art is the category. Industry is the condition," stated the artist-architect, a relationship that, a hundred years later, has become the glue for Tongji University in Shanghai during an event in the autumn of 2024 dedicated to Italian design, with the participation of 35 companies in the luxury, automotive, food, and industrial machinery sectors.
The exhibition, titled Italian Design: Champions & Hidden Champions, a temporary museum spotlighting Italian industrial brilliance in China, is the translation of what Italy has represented and continues to represent in the field of design, a leading role that was also recognized by the World Design Cities Conference, organized by UNESCO and the Shanghai municipal government.
"Italian design has a deep soul that finds its roots in the search for raw materials and semi-finished products that continuously challenge technical, technological, and artistic possibilities, and are essential and integral parts of the design result," explained Avril Accolla, professor and director of the Research Lab of Sustainable Business and Cultural Bridge at the Tongji University and curator of the museum. "Another fundamental component is the respect, trust, and dignity recognized in the company technicians who are protagonists of co-design activities."
The philosophy shared by the 35 companies and their leading products was to showcase an Italy capable of combining and blending functionality, beauty, and innovation across different sectors. But another significant aspect also emerged: The strategy of adaptability to the culture and requirements of the host country while maintaining the standards of Italian quality.
Over the years, Italy has managed to build visibility and an identity in the Chinese market with these companies that played a key role in this important exhibition. "No less important are the partnerships in the B2B and B2C value chain that are intrinsic to the entrepreneurial DNA of Italian SMEs, which is rooted in a millennia-old culture of craftsmanship production," added Accolla. "This is why there is an almost obsessive focus on quality, details, human capital, customer care, and flexibility, from which Italian uniqueness derives, as well as the willingness to meet customer desires."
For the average Chinese consumer, the effort to represent the Italian value chain in this market has led to an immediate recognition of a brand, often identified by a word that is transliterated into Chinese. This is a process that cannot be taken for granted in a country like China, which is relatively young in terms of consumption of foreign products.
Just over 30 years ago, some Italian design companies made their timid appearance in Chinese cities including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen. Over these decades, these operators have shown consistency and resilience, with a rooted presence both in production and retail, which has paid off in terms of brand visibility.
In the exhibition, the companies were grouped by B2C markets to reinforce the idea of the "Italian Way" in the value chain, in which the champions are paired with the hidden champions, often the suppliers, in a partnership that makes Italian production unique, excellent, and global winners. Thus, the ultra-famous brands Ferrari, Alfa Romeo, Ducati, and Vespa Piaggio from the transportation and automotive sectors were presented alongside industrial leaders such as Pirelli, Brembo, Ufi Filters, and FPT Industrial. In the home and office sector, where Cassina, Zanotta, Poltrona Frau, B&B Italia, Flos, and Natuzzi reign, there were also Iguzzini, Carel, and Futurasun. In the lifestyle sector, brands such as Tecnica, Blizzard, Nordica, Itema, Santoni, Fmmg, and Moleskine appeared, while Campari, Ferrero, Delonghi, along with Goglio and Pelliconi, were featured in food & beverage.
The pairing of art and industry becomes more evident for certain categories or products, such as those by Brembo, a leader in braking systems, which won the Compasso d'Oro (ADI) twice, in 2004 and 2020, for their innovative brake disc and ceramic-carbon technology and the Formula E braking system. Similarly, Pirelli was the first company to offer a range of FSC-certified tires for motorsport and Formula 1. In the furniture and accessories sector, it is worth remembering among the historical pieces exhibited, the Cassina Soriana armchair designed by Afra and Tobia Scarpa in 1969, the Flos MayDay lamp designed by Konstantin Grcic in 1999, an idea of minimalist elegance that won the Compasso d'Oro in 2021, and the Polso lamp by IGuzzini, in collaboration with Gio Ponti, a figure who continues to play an important role in this exhibition.
"The value base of the expressive structure and choice behavior is more aligned with contemporary and international tastes, resulting from massive media exposure," concluded Accolla, underscoring an impression from the Milan Furniture Fair held from April 8 to 13, an international showcase for the success of Italian design.
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