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Andrea Branzi is an Italian architect and designer born in Florence on November 30, 1938.
Summary
1 Biography
1.1 Andrea Branzi and Archizoom
1.2 Andrea Branzi designer
1.3 Andrea Branzi architect and town planner
1.4 Between art and interior architecture
1.5 Research work
2 Prizes and awards
3 Bibliography
3.1 Main writings of Andrea Branzi
3.2 Some writings on Andrea Branzi
4 Notes and references
5 external links
Biography
Andrea Branzi, born in Florence in 1938 is a contemporary Italian architect and designer. He studied in his hometown of Florence where he graduated in 1967. In 1973 he moved to Milan where he has lived and worked since. He is in turn architect, urban planner, designer, decorator, artistic director … He was one of the main players in the movement of Italian radical architecture from the 1960s and 1970s and was able to establish himself internationally , notably thanks to his emblematic writings and projects in both design and architecture.
Between 1964 and 1974, Andrea Branzi belonged to the avant-garde group Archizoom also composed of architects Gilberto Corretti, Paolo Deganello and Massimo Morozzi as well as designers Dario and Lucia Bartolini. Archizoom is at the origin of radical architecture in the same way as the Superstudio group with which they exhibit at Pistoia in 1966 ( “ Superarchitettura ” exhibition ), or the English group Archigram .
In the 1980s, Branzi was part of the Memphis Group founded by the architect and consultant Ettore Sottsass . In 1983 he wrote the preface to the catalog of the exhibition devoted to Sottsass at the Center Georges-Pompidou in Paris .
Since 1967, Andrea Branzi has worked in the areas of food design, architecture and urban planning. He was laureate in 1987 and 1995 of the Compasso d’Oro , awarded by the ADI ( Associazione per il Disegno Industriale ). Branzi teaches at the Polytechnic of Milan .
Andrea Branzi and Archizoom
From 1964 to 1974, he was part of the internationally known avant-garde group, Archizoom Associati, composed of Gilberto Corretti, Paolo Deganello, Massimo Morozzi, Dario Bartolini, Lucia Bartolini. The name Archizoom pays homage to the English architects of Archigram whose reference they claim. Archizoom Tokyo City-X and TokyoInternational Forum projects have been part of the collections of the Center Georges Pompidou in Paris since 1993. The Regional Fund for Contemporary Art (FRAC) of the Center region organized an exhibition on Branzi duOctober 15 at December 30, 2004. Other project archives are also kept in Parma, Italy at the Centro studi e archivio della comunicazione . He was thus part of the movement of Italian radical architecture that appeared in Florence between 1965 and 1975. He is an art critic, Germano Celant, which gave this name to the protest current led by architects (A. Branzi, G. Pettena…) and groups like Archizoom assiciati, Superstudio, UFO, who advocated experimentation in order to rethink housing and the city. For these architects, the emotional and the poetic had to supplant the rational and the functional of the modern movement. It was by provocation that these architects tried to question the city of the consumer society that had lost its humanity. It is in this context that Archizoom presents No-Stop-city 1, a city made up entirely of street furniture, scary by its homogeneity and its repetition. There is a turning point in architectural thought, where the act of planning is no longer simply building but also composing spaces, in particular thanks to furniture. The Casabella review highlighted and disseminated the theories of radical architects. A. Branzi published there his “radical notes” considered fundamental for the understanding of this movement. Archizoom’s concerns range from urban planning to furniture.
The year 1974 marks the end of the Archizoom group.
Andrea Branzi designer
From 1967, Andréa Branzi worked in industrial design, urban planning, education and cultural promotion. Indeed, he is a member of experimental industrial design studios such as Alchimia and then Memphis. He is concerned with the relationship between man and object through his research of seating in airports for Cassina (1969-1972) or even in 1972 for Abet Print he reflects on the use of laminated plastic for the building or furniture. From 1967 to 1969, he was assistant to Professor Domenico Cardini at the Faculty of Architecture in Florence. It was in 1969 that he left the faculty and devoted himself to his research within the framework of radical architecture, starting with a reflection on the image of the city: ” Fotomontaggi Urbani “, then ” No-Stop- City ” In 1974 he participated in the founding of Global Tools, a counter-school of architecture and design, and joined the laboratory ” experimental laboratory on mass creativity ” until 1976.
In 1975, he founded CDM (Consulenti Design Milano) with Massimo Morozzi, Clino Trini Castelli, Ettore Sottsass , Alessandro Mendini and Gianni Cutolo. This marks a turning point in his thinking about the environment and color. Indeed, with CDM he works on environmental structures and publishes two works on environmental decoration as well as different works on color. It was then that in 1978, as a designer he worked on the development of experimental products for Louis Vuitton and he developed a color system for Piaggio .
In 1982, he founded the design school Domus Academy, he was also its director for a few years. This school is for degree holders 2 e cycle. It is a specialization training in design.
Andrea Branzi is coordinator of the 1977 Milanese exhibition on Italian design of the 1950s, Italian design in the 1950s in Noviglio (suburb of Milan). He also participates in the book of the exhibition.
In 1990, he participated in the Osaka universal exhibition with the pavilion “Folly 10”. Then Mitsubishi created the Domus Design Agency in Tokyo and appointed him director. He then contributes to the promotion of Japanese design.
In 1992, he was a strategic consultant for the Biennale of the interior of Kortrijk in Belgium. He also participated on several occasions in the Milan Triennale . In addition, he was the general coordinator of the international design section at the 15 th edition.
In addition, Andrea Branzi created furniture in 1998 for Lawrence Steel’s home in Milan.
More recently, A. Branzi has worked more on the object, in 2006 he designs watches for Alessi or even vases with CIRVA (Marseille) or “Sciami” for Metea in 2007. The same year he also works in Japan, creating the “Tsukimi” fruit tray.
Andrea Branzi architect and town planner
In 1990, he produced a 17ha master plan for Mitsubishi in Tokyo, with Isao Hosoe, Clino Castelli and Tullio Zini. He returned to Italy to design 94,000 m 2 of accommodation in Florence, then in 1992 he was responsible for the renovation and landscaping of a Florentine villa. In 1994, he was in charge of a villa project in Italy, in Gignese, then he took care of the interior design of a Belgian house in Sint Truiden. In 1999, he worked for the first time with Eddy François on the design of buildings in Zottegem (Belgium), in 2000, he designed a master plan of one million square meters in Eindhoven(Netherlands). In 2002, he renovated a 1930s building to make it his home and his studio. He is doing new research with Cirva de Marseille on the use of industrial glass in interior design. It was also in 2002 that he created the Arezzo modern art gallery in Italy.
More recently, during a competition, Andrea Branzi collaborated with Toyo Ito for the conception of “Forum”, a center dedicated to art for the city of Gant (Belgium). They worked on acoustic atmospheres and lightness. However, this project was not retained. He participated in the 2010 Venice Biennale , a manifestation of contemporary art ranging from cinema to architecture 2. He presented his principle “weak urbanization” under the title of “the new charter of Athens” with ten principles evoking post-modern cities with their flows and overabundance of goods and advertisements. To do this, he presented a model made using food packaging. Boxes (cereals, cookies, juice etc.) become the founding elements of urban space like buildings.
Between art and interior architecture
From 1975 to 1979, he was artistic director for Fiorucci in Milan. He then turns to interior architecture. He works in collaboration with Ettore Sottsass 3 . The interior of a Fiorucci boutique in New York. Then in 1983 with Sergio Cappelli and Patrizia Ranzo, he designed the decoration of the Santini and Dominici boutique in Naples .
Between 1984 and 1987, he was the head of Modo magazine, which deals with design and architecture.
As early as 1978, Andrea Branzi had already produced various scenographies for Italian pieces, and he does the scenography for the ballet Blue Beard , choreographed by Karole Armitage , at the Nancy Opera in 2002.
Branzi renovated the Belgian Argentum gallery in 1996.
In 2002, he designed, in collaboration with Eddy François, the interior of the “De Smet” house.
Of March 28 at June 22, 2008, Andrea Branzi designed two poetic installations for the Cartier Foundation for contemporary art , suggesting fragility and delicacy, which he produced in collaboration with CIRVA in Marseille .
In 2012, Andrea Branzi exhibited a series of “Trees” libraries integrating birch segments, at the Carpenters Workshop Gallery in Paris. Works of art selected for the occasion by Catherine Thieck, at the request of the artist and the gallery, are exhibited on these 4 .
Research work
He devoted the years 1995 and 1997 to research: as part of the Domus Academy research center, “Agronica”, he worked on a theoretical urbanization project for Philips corporation; and research on interfaces for Logitech (United States). In 1997, Anshen and Allen Architects (San Francisco) commissioned him (in collaboration with the Domus Academy) to research waiting areas in hospitals.
In 2002, he carried out research work with Cirva de Marseille on the use of industrial windows in interior design.
Prizes and awards
With Archizoom, silver medal for the Yamagiwa competition in 1994
With Clino Castelli and Massimo Morozzi, Compasso d’Oro in 1979 for a design with the Centro Design Montefibre
With the Domus Academy, Compasso d’Oro at the biennial in Buenos Aires in 1983
Compasso d’Oro to reward all of his work in 1987
Robert Maxwell Prize for the Seven Theses on Design essay in 1989
Baden-Württemberg Prize for the “Quadrio” table for Up & Up in 1991
As a strategic consultant of Interior , special mention from the European Design Prize in 1994
Compasso d’Oro for his work at the Domus Academy in 1995
First prize at the IF of Hannover Fair for the CD protagonisti del design italiano CD-ROM . Lo scenario, le storie, i prodotti, utopie in 1996
First price at “Pirelli Energy” for low consumption tires in 1997
Bibliography
Main writings of Andrea Branzi
Revue Radical Notes 27 issues from 1973 to 1976
I colori dell’energia, Colordinamo – 1975
I colori pre-chimici, Colordinamo – 1976
I colori dell’ambiente, Colordinamo – 1977
Il Design italiano degli anni 50 – 1979
Moderno, post-moderno, millenario – 1980
La casa calda – 1982
Animali domestici: the neoprimitivo stile – 1986
News from the cold metropolis – 1991
Il design italiano 1964-1990 – 1996
‘Architecture is me’ from Architecture radical – 2002
Different articles in particular in the Modo , Domus , Terrazo , Interni , L’unita ‘ magazines
Some writings on Andrea Branzi
Article in L’Architecture d’Aujourd’hui n o 147,September 1969
Il dibattito architettonico in Italia dal 1947 al 1875 di Conforto , De Giorgi, Muntoni,
Pazzaglini in 1976. A. Branzi is cited there as the main actor of the avant-garde movement
Article in n o 226 of Japan Interior Design ,january 1978
Article “Attention: here are the moderns. Show revolutionaries “In the magazine Actuel , n o 11September 1980 by J. Rouzaud,
Andrea Branzi Architetture , T. De Montis, V. Russo, S. Balestrazzi, 1994.
Articles on Andrea Branzi and Archisoom Associati in the Dictionary of XXth century Architecture , 1996
Notes and references
[PDF] [1] [ archive ]
[2] [ archive ]
2 From the 1960s, design became very important in Italy. More than functional, design is an art and a vector for reflection on the rapidly changing society. Italian designers become famous and work in different studios, always having a reflection that can be compared to that of the architect, on lifestyles and spaces. Ettore Sottsass, Italian designer, was part of the Alchimia studio created in 1976 in Milan and he created the group Memphis in Milan in 1981. [3] [ archive ]
Élodie Palasse-Leroux , ” Andrea Branzi x Carpenters Workshop Gallery:” Trees ” ” [ archive ] , on sleekdesign.fr ,2012 (accessed April 24, 2012 )
Radical, Collective Architecture, Inst. Contemporary art, 2002.
Intramuros: 25 years of design, 150 portraits, vol. 1, compilation of issues of Itramuros, 2010.
News from the cold metropolis: design and second modernity, Andrea BRANZI, Les Essais Pompidou, 1991.
[4] [ archive ]
[5] [ archive ]
[6] [ archive ]
[7] [ archive ]
External links
Authority records :Virtual international authority fileInternational Standard Name IdentifierNational Library of France ( data )University documentation systemLibrary of CongressGemeinsame NormdateiNational Library ServiceNational Library of SpainRoyal Netherlands LibraryCzech National LibraryWorldCat
Fine arts resources :Wide(in) Museum of Modern Art
(it) / (en) andreabranzi.it [ archive ]
(en) interview with Andra Branzi [ archive ]
(en) exhibition Art, architecture, utopia in Tuscany (1960-1980) [ archive ]
(fr) / (en) Andrea Branzi exhibition at the Cartier Foundation [ archive ]
[8] [ archive ]
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