Aldo Rossi: Darling Architecture

Aldo Rossi (1931–1997) was much more than just an architect. He was also a writer, theorist, critic, artist, teacher and designer. His buildings seem simultaneously familiar and enigmatic, referring to archetypes from the city whilst also evoking personal memories and experiences. This idea also forms the foundation of his design for Bonnefanten.

Particular attention is paid to Rossi’s original interior design for the Bonnefanten Museum. When the museum opened in 1995, the central section of the building was a Gesamtkunstwerk in which the architecture, furniture and interior design formed a single cohesive whole. Over the past thirty years, some of this has disappeared or changed. The entire ensemble of museum furniture that was produced by Molteni&C and UniFor has been returned to the museum for the new presentation.

The person at play

For Rossi, architecture was not only a way of thinking but also a form of creative play. Ideas, images and shapes recur throughout his body of work, each time in a different form or on a different scale. Rossi never limited himself to architecture alone. Rossi had a fascination with everyday objects. In his long-standing collaborations with design producers such as Alessi and Bruno Longoni Atelier d’ arredamento the boundary between buildings, furniture and everyday objects became blurred. A coffeepot could become a tower; a cupboard could become a building. Several of these designs will be included in the permanent exhibition.