The long Journey of Design

The exhibition “Colori e Forme nella Casa d’oggi” in Como, 1957

Abstract

The exhibition Colori e forme della casa d’oggi which was held in Como in 1957, attempted to establish the ultimate synthesis of architecture, art and industrial design, inviting the most important Lombard architects to devise domestic environments, in collaboration with artists and furniture companies. Despite the presence of artists such as Fontana, Radice, Somaini, Fiume and architects such as Ponti, Albini, Zanuso, BBPR, Castiglioni, eventually the magic formula could not be realized. Overtaken by events, the focus proposed by the organizers of the exhibition in Como allowed for a clear affirmation of the industrial product, with rooms in which the “will of art” is conveyed by compositional grids, serial and modular elements.