Gae Aulenti
Gae Aulenti graduated from Milan Polytechnic in 1953. From 1956, she worked in Milan across architecture, interior and industrial design, and theatre set design. Her practice connected the scale of everyday objects with the transformation of museums, cultural buildings and urban spaces.
Lighting and furniture for FontanaArte
In 1979, Aulenti was appointed artistic director of FontanaArte, for which she created lamps and furniture that remain part of the company's catalogue. Her designs include the Giova lamp (1964), the Tavolo con ruote table (1980) and the Tour table (1993).
Working with Piero Castiglioni, she designed the Parola family of lamps (1980), the Diamante (1986) and Calle (1988) wall lamps, and the Diastema spotlight (1994).
Architecture and cultural spaces
Her architectural projects include the refurbishment and new exhibition layout of the Musée d’Orsay (1980–1986) and the Musée National d’Art Moderne at the Centre Pompidou (1982–1985), as well as the refurbishment of Palazzo Grassi in Venice (1985–1986).
Other projects include the new entrance to Santa Maria Novella station in Florence (1990); Palazzo Italia at EXPO ’92 in Seville; the restoration of the Scuderie Papali at the Quirinale in Rome (1999); and the renovation of Piazzale Cadorna in Milan (2000).
In Naples, she worked on the Museo and Dante stations on underground line 1 and the redesign of Piazza Cavour and Piazza Dante (1999–2002). Her international projects include the new Asian Art Museum in San Francisco (1996–2003) and the Catalan Museum of Art in Barcelona (1985–2004).
Her later work includes the restoration of the Palavela in Turin for the 2006 Winter Olympic Games; the Italian Cultural Institute in Tokyo (2006); and the restoration of Palazzo Branciforte in Palermo and its transformation into a museum (2011).
Awards and recognition
Aulenti received numerous honours, including Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur in Paris; honorary membership of the American Institute of Architects (Hon. FAIA); the Praemium Imperiale for Architecture in Tokyo; Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic in Rome; and an honorary degree in Fine Arts from the Rhode Island School of Design in Providence, USA.
