Continuity and review. Rebuilding Aldo Rossi's legacy at MAXXI
29/08/2021.
[Rome] Italy 10.03 > 17.10.2021
metalocus, RAMIRO ISAURRALDE
metalocus, RAMIRO ISAURRALDE
Architecture of the City, Casabella, Tendenza, Teatro del Mundo, San Cataldo Cemetery and neo-rationalism are just some of the ideas that quickly come to mind if we think of Aldo Rossi. All these aspects and others less publicized, of the Italian's work, are available until October 17 at the MAXXI.
Under the title of "Aldo Rossi. The architect and the cities", the National Museum of Art of the XXI Century brings us a retrospective of Rossi's work in collaboration with the Fondazione Aldo Rossi, and from METALOCUS we take this opportunity to review some of the points that marked the remarkable and atypical work of this architect.
Under the title of "Aldo Rossi. The architect and the cities", the National Museum of Art of the XXI Century brings us a retrospective of Rossi's work in collaboration with the Fondazione Aldo Rossi, and from METALOCUS we take this opportunity to review some of the points that marked the remarkable and atypical work of this architect.
Aldo Rossi, with Gianni Braghieri. Planivolumetry with architectural elements, 1972. MAXXI Architecture Collection. Aldo Rossi Archive © Eredi Aldo Rossi
Aldo Rossi photographed with the La conica coffee maker, designed for Alessi. MAXXI Architecture Collection. Aldo Rossi Archive
Photographic report of the construction and movement of the Teatro del Mondo from Venice to Dubrovnik, 1979-1980. Photograph by Antonio Martinelli
Aldo Rossi. The architect and the cities. Photograph by Musacchio, Ianniello & Pasqualini. Courtesy of Fondazione MAXXI.
Aldo Rossi. The architect and the cities. Photograph by Musacchio, Ianniello & Pasqualini. Courtesy of Fondazione MAXXI.
Aldo Rossi. The architect and the cities. Photograph by Musacchio, Ianniello & Pasqualini. Courtesy of Fondazione MAXXI.
Aldo Rossi. The architect and the cities. Photograph by Musacchio, Ianniello & Pasqualini. Courtesy of Fondazione MAXXI.
Aldo Rossi. The architect and the cities. Photograph by Musacchio, Ianniello & Pasqualini. Courtesy of Fondazione MAXXI.
Aldo Rossi. The architect and the cities. Photograph by Musacchio, Ianniello & Pasqualini. Courtesy of Fondazione MAXXI.
Aldo Rossi. The architect and the cities. Photograph by Musacchio, Ianniello & Pasqualini. Courtesy of Fondazione MAXXI.
Aldo Rossi. The architect and the cities. Photograph by Musacchio, Ianniello & Pasqualini. Courtesy of Fondazione MAXXI.
Aldo Rossi, with G. Braghieri. Competition for the San Cataldo cemetery, Modena, 1971-1983. MAXXI Architecture Collection. Aldo Rossi Archive © Eredi Aldo Rossi
Architecture with saint. Architectural composition with a human figure, 1972. MAXXI Architecture Collection. Aldo Rossi Archive © Eredi Aldo Rossi
Architectural composition with coffee maker and other kitchen utensils, 1974. MAXXI Architecture Collection. Aldo Rossi Archive © Eredi Aldo Rossi
![Aldo Rossi with Eraldo Consolascio, Bruno Reichlin and Fabio Reinhart. The Analogue City, a utopian project for the 37th International Art Exhibition of the Venice Biennale [1976]. Photograph courtesy of MAXXI](https://www.metalocus.es/sites/default/files/styles/mopis_news_carousel_item_desktop/public/metalocus_maxxi_aldo-rossi_07.jpg?itok=6dF0DCye "Aldo Rossi with Eraldo Consolascio, Bruno Reichlin and Fabio Reinhart. The Analogue City, a utopian project for the 37th International Art Exhibition of the Venice Biennale [1976]. Photograph courtesy of MAXXI")
Aldo Rossi with Eraldo Consolascio, Bruno Reichlin and Fabio Reinhart. The Analogue City, a utopian project for the 37th International Art Exhibition of the Venice Biennale [1976]. Photograph courtesy of MAXXI
Aldo Rossi with M. Scheurer. Project of a new administrative building for UBS, Lugano, Switzerland (1990). MAXXI Architecture Collection. Aldo Rossi Archive © Eredi Aldo Rossi
Aldo Rossi. Teatro del Mondo for the 1st International Architecture Exhibition of the Venice Biennale (1979-80). MAXXI Architecture Collection. Aldo Rossi Archive © Eredi Aldo Rossi
Aldo Rossi with G. Braghieri, A. Cantafora. Competition for the student house, Chieti, 1977. MAXXI Architecture Collection. Aldo Rossi Archive © Eredi Aldo Rossi
Aldo Rossi. Architectural fantasy with elements of the San Cataldo cemetery in Modena, the Broni school and other projects, s.d. MAXXI Architecture Collection. Aldo Rossi Archive © Eredi Aldo Rossi
Aldo Rossi, with G. Braghieri. "The theater of the Broni school". MAXXI Architecture Collection. Aldo Rossi Archive © Eredi Aldo Rossi
Aldo Rossi. House a / home in Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania (USA), 1995. Photo courtesy of the Aldo Rossi Foundation
Aldo Rossi, with M. Adjmi. Disney Development Company office complex, Orlando 1991-1993. Photograph courtesy of Fundación Aldo Rossi
Aldo Rossi, with M.Adjmi, T. Horiguchi, S. Uchida. Il Palazzo hotel and restaurant complex, Fukuoka (Japan), 1987-1990. Photography by Nacasa and Partners. Photograph courtesy of Fundación Aldo Rossi
Photographic report of the construction and movement of the Teatro del Mondo from Venice to Dubrovnik, 1979-1980. Photograph by Antonio Martinelli
Photographic report of the construction and movement of the Teatro del Mondo from Venice to Dubrovnik, 1979-1980. Photograph by Antonio Martinelli
Photographic report of the construction and movement of the Teatro del Mondo from Venice to Dubrovnik, 1979-1980. Photograph by Antonio Martinelli
Photographic report of the construction and movement of the Teatro del Mondo from Venice to Dubrovnik, 1979-1980. Photograph by Antonio Martinelli
Aldo Rossi, with Marc Kocher, Luca Meda and Massimo Scheurer. Residential and commercial unit, Schützenstrasse, Berlin. Photograph by Vera Rossi
Aldo Rossi, with Marc Kocher, Luca Meda and Massimo Scheurer. Residential and commercial unit, Schützenstrasse, Berlin. Photograph by Vera Rossi
Steamship Aldo Rossi Luca Meda. Courtesy of Molteni & C
Milanese interior with a person looking at the Duomo with fog. Courtesy of the Molteni Museum
Paris armchair. Courtesy of Unifor
“Progress in architecture cannot be considered as progress from an ethical or aesthetic point of view, let alone a technical one. Progressiveness in architecture is the progressiveness of its content - or of collective consciousness at a specific historical time”
Aldo Rossi, Notebook 1, 19 June 1968
Even having died at an early age (66 years), Aldo Rossi had a prolific career with works that marked more than a generation of architects, theorists and construction professionals, and with publications such as La Arquitectura de la Ciudad (1966) and Scientific Autobiography (1984), which even today are still part of the basic bibliography of anyone who wants to begin to enter the broad world of architecture.
As one of the most renowned architectural theorists of the second half of the last century, Aldo Rossi's legacy continues almost 25 years after his death. His participation in the group La Tendenza meant one of the great awakenings of architecture in the face of abstraction and modern criticism and laid the foundations for the Postmodern Movement, which would mark the careers of renowned architects of that period in the coming decades. would continue to do so today.
From the vindication of the ideas of permanence and the locus of the city, to the rescue of the archetype and typological criticism, Rossi's theoretical contributions shaped one of the important changes in the architecture of the second half of the century. Of course, this was not the only response to the continuation and new problems of the time, we cannot forget his American contemporaries from the New York Five, or the other two theorists who marked the time with their approaches to the city and the city. architecture, we are talking, of course, about Kevin Lynch and Robert Venturi, who, directly or indirectly, would end up influencing their thoughts and ways of positioning themselves in front of the built space.
"Architecture is the form and structuring of spaces. In this certainty of the existence of given, immutable formal values, Rossi resembles the classical artist. "
Josep María Montaner (1993: 53)
In short, the resounding passage of Aldo Rossi through the architecture and planning of cities was a response and result of the changes that agitated society at that time, and was continuity and revision of the Modern Movement sense, adding to the humanism of the Third Generation, which would later have its reflections on numerous theorists, architects and urban planners.
Rossi's two most recognized works (the World Theater in Venice and the San Cataldo Cemetery in Modena), manifestos constructed from his thought, earned him recognition with the Pritzker Prize in 1990. In this very comprehensive retrospective curated by Alberto Ferlenga, MAXXI presents these works to us through 40 models, which between writings, drawings and projects, complete the more than 800 exhibits of the architect.
BIBLIOGRAPHY.-
- BISSO, Octavio Montestruque (2020). La arquitectura de la ciudad - El locus. Aldo Rossi. En Cuadernos De Arquitectura. N ° 7 (pp. 2-13) Lima. Peru.
- FRAMPTON, Kenneth (2014) Historia Crítica de la Arquitectura Moderna. 4th edition, 6th print [Original edition, 1980]. Barcelona. Spain: Editorial GG.
- MONTANER, Josep María (1993) Después del Movimiento Moderno. Barcelona. Spain: Editorial GG.
- ROSSI, Aldo (2015) La arquitectura de la ciudad. 3rd edition, 5th print [Original edition, 1966]. Barcelona. Spain: Editorial GG.
![Aldo Rossi with Eraldo Consolascio, Bruno Reichlin and Fabio Reinhart. The Analogue City, a utopian project for the 37th International Art Exhibition of the Venice Biennale [1976]. Photograph courtesy of MAXXI](https://www.metalocus.es/sites/default/files/styles/mopis_news_gallery_deskop/public/metalocus_maxxi_aldo-rossi_07.jpg?itok=HbEHizs3 "Aldo Rossi with Eraldo Consolascio, Bruno Reichlin and Fabio Reinhart. The Analogue City, a utopian project for the 37th International Art Exhibition of the Venice Biennale [1976]. Photograph courtesy of MAXXI")
More information
Curator
Alberto Ferlenga.
Dates
From 10 March 2021 to 17 October 2021.
Location
Gallery 2. MAXXI Museo nazionale delle arti del XXI secolo - Via Guido Reni 4A - 00196 Rome. Italy.
Aldo Rossi
Aldo Rossi (born May 3, 1931, Milan, Italy—died September 4, 1997, Milan) was an Italian architect who achieved international recognition in four distinct areas: architectural theory, drawing and design and also product design. He was one of the leading exponents of the postmodern movement. He went to the school of architecture at the Polytechnic University of Milan. His thesis advisor was Piero Portaluppi and he graduated in 1959.
From 1959 was one of the editors of, the architectural magazine Casabella-Continuità, with editor in chief Ernesto Nathan Rogers. His early articles cover architects such as Alessandro Antonelli, Mario Ridolfi, Auguste Perret and Emil Kaufmann and much of this material became part of his second book, Scritti scelti sull'architettura e la città 1956-1972 (Selected writings on architecture and the city from 1956 to 1972). He married the Swiss actress Sonia Gessner, who introduced him to the world of film and theater. Culture and his family became central to his life. His son Fausto was active in movie-making both in front of and behind the camera. His daughter Vera was involved with theatre.
During the early 1960s he began his lifelong career as a teacher, working for a time at the Polytechnic of Milan and the Istituto Universitario di Architettura in Venice (IUAV).In 1966 Rossi published his seminal publication L’architettura della città (The Architecture of the City)
Among Rossi’s first works to be built was his winning competition design (with Gianni Braghieri) for the Cemetery of San Cataldo (1971–84) in Modena, Italy. Rossi’s design for the sanctuary of the cemetery, a heavy cube standing on square pillars with raw square windows carved out in symmetrical layers, stripped architecture down to its essence. While in some ways reminiscent of Greek and Renaissance models, it had a severity and total lack of ornamentation.
Rossi’s Gallaratese housing scheme (1969–73) in Milan is an enormous concrete structure built to house 2,400 people. Its design, like that of the cemetery, utilized simple primary forms and repetitive elements in the facade. The structure’s uniformity and timelessness again made it fit within, rather than detract from, the urban fabric. Rossi gained international attention at the Venice Biennale in 1979 when he designed the Teatro del Mondo, a floating theatre. The wood-clad structure, featuring an octagonal tower, recalled the Venetian tradition of floating theatres and, Rossi believed, tapped into the collective architectural memory of the city.
Rossi’s A Scientific Autobiography was published in 1981 (reissued 2010). In the 1980s and ’90s Rossi continued his search for a timeless architectural language in commissions such as the Hotel il Palazzo (1987–94) in Fukuoka, Japan, and the Bonnefanten Museum (1995) in Maastricht, Netherlands. Over time, his architectural sketches and drawings became recognized as works in themselves and were shown in major museums throughout the world. In addition to being an architect and writer, he worked as an industrial designer, notably for Alessi. In 1990 Rossi received the Pritzker Prize.
From 1959 was one of the editors of, the architectural magazine Casabella-Continuità, with editor in chief Ernesto Nathan Rogers. His early articles cover architects such as Alessandro Antonelli, Mario Ridolfi, Auguste Perret and Emil Kaufmann and much of this material became part of his second book, Scritti scelti sull'architettura e la città 1956-1972 (Selected writings on architecture and the city from 1956 to 1972). He married the Swiss actress Sonia Gessner, who introduced him to the world of film and theater. Culture and his family became central to his life. His son Fausto was active in movie-making both in front of and behind the camera. His daughter Vera was involved with theatre.
During the early 1960s he began his lifelong career as a teacher, working for a time at the Polytechnic of Milan and the Istituto Universitario di Architettura in Venice (IUAV).In 1966 Rossi published his seminal publication L’architettura della città (The Architecture of the City)
Among Rossi’s first works to be built was his winning competition design (with Gianni Braghieri) for the Cemetery of San Cataldo (1971–84) in Modena, Italy. Rossi’s design for the sanctuary of the cemetery, a heavy cube standing on square pillars with raw square windows carved out in symmetrical layers, stripped architecture down to its essence. While in some ways reminiscent of Greek and Renaissance models, it had a severity and total lack of ornamentation.
Rossi’s Gallaratese housing scheme (1969–73) in Milan is an enormous concrete structure built to house 2,400 people. Its design, like that of the cemetery, utilized simple primary forms and repetitive elements in the facade. The structure’s uniformity and timelessness again made it fit within, rather than detract from, the urban fabric. Rossi gained international attention at the Venice Biennale in 1979 when he designed the Teatro del Mondo, a floating theatre. The wood-clad structure, featuring an octagonal tower, recalled the Venetian tradition of floating theatres and, Rossi believed, tapped into the collective architectural memory of the city.
Rossi’s A Scientific Autobiography was published in 1981 (reissued 2010). In the 1980s and ’90s Rossi continued his search for a timeless architectural language in commissions such as the Hotel il Palazzo (1987–94) in Fukuoka, Japan, and the Bonnefanten Museum (1995) in Maastricht, Netherlands. Over time, his architectural sketches and drawings became recognized as works in themselves and were shown in major museums throughout the world. In addition to being an architect and writer, he worked as an industrial designer, notably for Alessi. In 1990 Rossi received the Pritzker Prize.
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