10 Corso Como pays tribute to Andrea Branzi with the exhibition "Andrea Branzi. Civilizations without jewels have never existed", This project marks a crucial moment in the rediscovery of the work of the Italian architect, designer, historian, and theorist Andrea Branzi, one year after his passing. Starting from an immersion in his archive (still in the process of formation), the exhibition constructs a coherent narrative of the different manifestations of his design thinking, highlighting his visionary approach and impact on the history of design.
The exhibition offers a unique dialogue between historical pieces and more recent works, spanning from the mid-1980s to his latest creations in 2023. The stone objects from the '90s, the famous teapots, and baskets—reinvigorated by the use of natural materials such as birch wood—are explored in the light of Branzi's reflections on ornament. This is evidenced by the series of gold and silver jewelry "Silver & Gold" and the silver and birch wood objects "Silver & Wood", made in Belgium in the second half of the '90s. These were presented in a retrospective at the Design Museum in Ghent in 1998 and are now central to the exhibition.
This marks an important step in enhancing Branzi's artistic legacy, focusing on aspects of his work that are perhaps less well known but essential to offering a 360-degree view of his design philosophy, his "poetic" and interdisciplinary way of living. The show is curated by Alessio de’ Navasques and realized in collaboration with Nicoletta Morozzi, Lorenza Branzi, and the galleries Casa Argentaurum and Friedman Benda.
On display, the dialogue between ornament and nature
The story of "Silver & Gold" and "Silver & Wood" stems from the special relationship between Branzi and Belgium, particularly with the Casa Argentaurum gallery, led by Eddy François and Caroline De Wolf. These are multifaceted creations that challenge disciplinary boundaries, true installations that expand into the surrounding space, almost as if to amplify the aura of the body.
As Alessio de’ Navasques writes in the text accompanying the exhibition:
Framing the human body within a landscape, they mark its aura with leaves and natural elements, highlighting the mystical dimension of ornament in its primordial meaning, as a medium that brings humanity closer to the divine
The typical mysticism of forms and materials permeates the atmosphere of the exhibition and the entire project, characterized by a layout that evokes the one created by Branzi for the 1998 retrospective at the Design Museum in Ghent.
The jewel as a mystical and ancestral element
For Branzi, engaging with ornament means rethinking a primitive, mystical, and ancestral element, and the jewel is something that deeply roots itself in humanity itself.
If there have been societies without cities and without architecture, there have never been societies without jewelry; because they are primarily the evident sign of a magical elaboration of the human person, and the symbol of the search for a secret order in the laws of the cosmos
Andrea Branzi, Interni, november 2005
The legacy of a radical vision
On display are projects such as the sculptural lamps from the "Wood & Stones" series (1995), where wood and stone come together to overcome the dichotomy between science and nature, the iconic "Animali Domestici" chairs from the 1980s, and more recent works like "Germinal Bench" (2022) and "Legni Domestici" (2023), symbols of nature transforming into architecture. These works testify to Branzi's almost prophetic visionary approach. By transcending the boundaries of modern design and the rigid hierarchy between disciplines that too often stifles creativity, his work stands as a manifesto of hybridity—an invitation to reconsider the everyday as a poetic space, where objects and furnishings become fragments of a narrative capable of connecting modernity and tradition, past and future, the everyday and the spiritual.
The new path of 10·Corso·Como: a look to the past to shape the future
With this retrospective, 10·Corso·Como not only celebrates Andrea Branzi's legacy but also confirms the direction of its new artistic programming, already initiated with the exhibition "Pietro Consagra. Ornamenti," also curated by Alessio de' Navasques, as well as the new vision outlined by entrepreneur Tiziana Fausti, who aims to combine the historical identity of the iconic Milanese space with a forward-looking perspective. The exhibitions tackle museological themes, often enriched by in-depth archival research, with the goal of rediscovering lesser-known aspects of the work of renowned creatives, while maintaining a particular focus on applied arts.
Exhibition: Andrea Branzi. Civilizations Without Jewels Have Never Existed Where: 10 Corso Como, Milan Dates: December 18, 2024 – February 16, 2025