After Brussels, Venice, Rome and before an international tour in China and the United States, the show opens to the public in Turin with greater in- depth exploration than the previous editions; a journey through Nervi's relationships with large industrial clients during the postwar years. Original drawings, photographs and historic videos show the large industrial plants, but also small and medium-sized facilities, that the "master of reinforced concrete" designed for such companies as Fiat, Burgo, Italcementi, Pirelli, Lancia and L'Oréal.
The show's heart and common thread, however, is the selection of the twelve most famous works by Nervi in Italy and around the world, from the Orvieto and Orbetello Hangars of the 1930s to St. Mary's Cathedral in San Francisco, passing through the Olympics in Rome and the Exhibition Hall and the Palazzo del Lavoro in Turin. The visitor can wander through the twelve projects, which are cleverly communicated through a precise play of videos, physical models produced by the rapid prototyping technique, original drawings and historic photographs, but also specially shot photographs of Nervi's existing work by Mario Carrieri. A sumptuous feast for the eyes and mind by no means restricted to architectural experts but also welcoming and open to the curious uninitiated.
The knowledge and divulgation of the extraordinary wealth of works that have shaped the history of contemporary architecture compels us to confront the problematic issues of today's re-use of these icons.
Pier Luigi Nervi - Architecture as a challenge
Turin, industrial clientele, Italian architectural and polytechnic culture
Curated by Carlo Olmo
Turin Exhibition Hall C
Via Petrarca 39/B, Turin
