Ignazio Gardella

Ignazio Gardella (1905-1999) was one of the great Italian architects of the twentieth century. A versatile and impeccable professional, he has often played the role of liaison between field practice and academic theory, carried forward in almost thirty years of academic teaching at the IUAV in Venice. He began his career in the 1930s by inscribing himself in the current of Italian Rationalism, with iconic creations such as the anti-tubercular clinic in Alessandria. Gradually his design language becomes richer and is also linked to the experiences of Lombard neoclassicism, allowing him in the post-war period to give life to works such as the Olivetti canteen in Ivrea, the PAC in Milan (which he would later reconstruct exactly as it was in the 90, after it was destroyed in a mafia attack) or the Casa delle Zattere in Venice, his most celebrated but also the most discussed work. His contribution to the world of design passed through Azucena, which he founded in 1947 together with Luigi Caccia Dominioni and Corrado Corradi Dell'Acqua with the aim of putting their furniture into production. Some of his furnishings are now re-proposed by Molteni & C., MisuraEmme and Santa&Cole, while his lamps are re-edited by Tato Italia.