Gae Aulenti

She was born in Palazzolo della Stella (Udine) in 1927. After graduating from the Milan Polytechnic in 1953, her training took place between Florence and Turin, but it was in Milan that she pursued her professional career in various sectors: architectural design, interior and industrial design, and theatre set design.

From 1955 to 1965 he was on the editorial staff of Casabella-Continuità directed by Ernesto Rogers, which laid the foundations for his professional identity.

After the realisation in Paris of the Museé d'Orsay (1980-86) and the new layout of the Musée National d'Art Moderne at the Centre Pompidou (1982-85), he supervised the renovation of Palazzo Grassi in Venice (1985-86) and, subsequently, the setting up in this venue of numerous temporary exhibitions, from 'Futurismo & Futurismi' (1986) to 'Da Puvis de Chavannes a Matisse e Picasso. Towards Modern Art' (2002).

Numerous industrial design products were created to complement the architectural project, one example being the iconic Pipistrello lamp, designed in 1965 for the Olivetti shops in Paris and Buenos Aires. Read more about the history of Pipistrello.

A product is never merely and exclusively decorative but is a complement to the architectural space in which it is inserted.

In January 2005, he founded 'Gae Aulenti Architetti Associati'.

Recent projects include:

• The new entrance to the S.Maria Novella station in Florence - 1990
• Palazzo Italia at EXPO '92 in Seville
• The new Gallery for Temporary Exhibitions at the Milan Triennial - 1994
• The Italian Metamorphosis 1943-1968' exhibition at the Guggenheim Museum in New York - 1994
• The renovation of the Government Building of the Republic of San Marino - 1991/1996
• 'Spazio Oberdan' in Milan, new headquarters of the Fondazione Cineteca Italiana - 1999
• The renovation of the former Papal Stables at the Quirinale in Rome, a new venue for temporary exhibitions inaugurated with the exhibition 'I Cento Capolavori dell'Ermitage. Impressionists and Avant-gardes' - 1999
• The redevelopment of Piazzale Cadorna in Milan - 2000
• The exhibition '1951-2001 Made in Italy? Memoria' at the Milan Triennale - 2001
• The 'Museo' and 'Dante' stations of the Underground and the redesign of Piazza Cavour and Piazza Dante in Naples - 1999/2002
• The new Asian Art Museum in San Francisco (commissioned by international competition), opened to the public in March 2003
• The National Museum of Catalan Art in Barcelona was completed in December 2004 with the opening of the 20th century art section.

Inaugurated during 2005:

• The headquarters of the Italian Cultural Institute in Tokyo
• The Palavela in Turin, venue for figure skating and short-track competitions for the 2006 Winter Olympic Games
• Piazza San Giovanni in Gubbio

She was invited as a jury member for the international design competitions 'at the New National Museum of Korea, Seoul'; 'TAV- Nuova Stazione Alta Velocità di Firenze' and 'The Grand Egyptian Museum, Giza-Cairo'.