The best exhibitions to see in May in Milan
Five exhibitions to discover in spring in Milan, between the magic of immersive work and digital art, pop culture, and of course Italian design.
Aldo Rossi Design 1960-1997 at the Novecento Museum
For the first time, 25 years after his death, the Novecento museum is offering an exhibition that brings together more than 350 objects invented by Aldo Rossi between 1960 and 1997, famous Milanese designer and first Italian winner of the 1990 Premio Pritzker. The in-depth retrospective and the creative journey of the designer, through his furniture and everyday objects that have become iconic, such as his armchair Paris for UniFor (1989) or its espresso coffee maker The conicfor Alessi (1984)
Aldo Rossi, until October 2, 2022 – Piazza Duomo, 8
The Miracles of David LaChapelle at Mudec
The Museum of Cultures exhibits 90 extraordinary works by the great American photographer, a living icon of pop culture and identified from the start by Andy Warhol. On the first floor, the visitor experiences an image journey – between large formats, site-specific shots, new productions and a video-installation – focusing on ecology, current events, spirituality, fashion, nature and art. David LaChapelle stands out for his atypical photography, both baroque and theatrical, filled with whimsical narration, ironic details, and emotions.
A signaller: the colossal work “Seismic Displacement” (which measures 16 meters by 4) in which is imagined a catastrophic earthquake in Los Angeles and its consequences on contemporary art, and “Self-Portrait as Home”: the artist’s head with its instincts and impulses, reproduced as if it were a doll’s house.
LaChapelle has also collaborated and photographed stars such as Madonna, Britney Spears, Michael Jackson, Angelina Jolie, Uma Thurman, and David Bowie.
“I believe in Miracles”, until September 11, 2022 – via Tortona 56
The elevator : dreamlike journey in the city at TO MEET
The immersive room of the Meet, Center for Art and Digital Culture, hosts “The Lift”, an impressive site-specific work by Fabio Giampietro, Italian guru of digital art, now a pioneer of the metaverse, but above all a painter.
Fabio Giampietro indeed begins in a most traditional artistic work: he paints his landscapes (urban and metaphysical) in oil and on canvas. It is only afterwards that he transposes them into a digital dimension, thus bringing art and technology closer together.
“The Lift” is here a dreamlike journey in black and white, and silent. As the visitor (or viewer) sits in the center of the Meet room, the journey begins: the panorama begins to move, transforming the room into a huge glass elevator that gently rises in what appears to be a skyscraper in the middle of a metropolis. He accelerates, catapulting the elevator out of the skyscraper itself, above the city. During the trip, we see several sequences: an art gallery where the artist himself is staged with seven of his works, a city reminiscent of a contemporary megalopolis, space with our planet (incomplete) where also float objects, creatures and video games that represent both the artist’s old works and his imagination.
The journey is not over. After a moment’s pause, the elevator will quickly collapse, accompanied by a great din. The dust raised by the crash will dissipate revealing an unexpected conclusion… An experience that makes you dream, thanks to the magic of the immersive work.
Attention, until May 8 only, Viale Vittorio Veneto 2
The Art of Brick (Lego Art) at Ride Urban hub of Milan (Navigli)
The traveling exhibition of Lego Art has settled in Milan after touring the world and being admired by more than 7 million spectators.
These are the works of the artist Nathan Sawaya who are presented, a former lawyer who left the profession in 2004 to dedicate himself to the art of Lego full-time. Using thousands of pieces for each sculpture, the artist reproduces and revisits the most famous works of art, such as the Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci, the Scream by Munch, the David by Donatello, the starry night by Van Gogh or even Klimt’s kiss. Incredible also, the impressive reproduction of the skeleton of a Tyrannosaurus Rex, 6 meters long. An exhibition for all ages, to see with the family.
The Art of La Brique, until August 28, 2022 – via Valenza 2
Podium 16, Olivetti’s Golden Compasses at the ADI Design Museum
Podium 16 is a tribute to the 16 golden compasses which awarded prizes to Olivetti products in 1954 and 2001, an Italian company born in 1908, which evaded asserting the reputation of Italian design throughout the world, starting with the write with, in particular, the famous letter 22. Products that have technological and design excellence have conquered the markets, even finding places in museums.
The Golden Compass is an award born in 1954 from an idea by Gio Ponti to enhance the quality of made in Italy design. Today, it represents the oldest recognition in the sector worldwide.
An exhibition, in a new must-see museum in Milan.
Podium 16, until September 11, 2022 – Piazza Compasso d’Oro 1
And many other exhibitions on the program, listed in our Agenda.