Joe Colombo: Inventing the Future

published Mar 2, 2008
ends Aug 31, 2008
Joe Colombo Inventing the Future
Televisions that retract into the ceiling, pivoting walls with a built-in mini-bar, underground "nuclear cities" - the works of Italian designer Joe Colombo could have emerged from the set of a contemporary James Bond film.

They exude the spirit of the shrill Sixties yet also impress with their functionality and striking forms.

One of the most successful designers of his time, Colombo produced design classics such as the "Elda" armchair, the "Universale" chair or the lamp "Alogena".

In 1971, he died at 41 years of age.

The exhibition "Joe Colombo - Inventing the Future" is the first international retrospective dedicated to Colombo's work.

Produced in close cooperation with the estate of Joe Colombo, the exhibition presents an abundance of never-before-shown materials on Joe Colombo's body of work.

These include early original objects and prototypes of Colombo's most important furniture designs as well as many original sketches, plans, brochures, architectural models, several films and original photos.

Structured into four groups, the exhibition traces the rapid development of Colombo's brief life and conveys a lively impression of the designer's tremendous productivity that fascinated contemporaries even during his lifetime.