Minotti 70

Minotti has chosen Migliore+Servetto Architects to develop the exhibition concept of the event to celebrate its 70° anniversary, which took place at the Villa Reale di Monza on 18th May 2018. The project is an installation-event that develops as a multimodal narration around the heritage of the historical brand. With its prestigious past, Villa Reale in Monza pays tribute to the lengthy history of Minotti and, at the same time, to the furniture manufacturing expertise expressed with excellence in the surrounding Brianza district.

Built between 1777 and 1780 by Empress Maria Theresa of Austria for her son, Ferdinand Karl, on plans by architect, Giuseppe Piermarini, it hosted the first Biennale of decorative arts in 1923 and 43 editions of the International Furnishings Exhibition. Today, it is the home of the Triennale Design Museum and hosts various fashion, art and design exhibits, establishing itself as an evocative expression of the for high-quality of Italian creativity.

The exhibition arranged on the main floor of the villa outlines three different, narrative scenarios that, like frames in stop motion, offer insights into the family’s value and the internationality and style of the famous Italian brand. Moving between the physical and the digital, these dynamic installations are able to recompose numerous unseen materials into a sort of large, environmental scrapbook. A system of projections in the Sala degli Arazzi gives out infinite reflections, embracing the space in a family portrait with a wealth of personal objects and memories in order to represent the brilliant intuition of Alberto Minotti, which has been continued by the new generations.

At the centre of the Sala del Trono is a large, interactive globe placed in dialogue with the dynamic wall behind it, leading the visitor to discover the Minotti global status in terms of figures and locations. In the Sala degli Uccelli, an articulated narration in images runs along the main wall, looking back at the last 20 years of history and projects. The exhibition path ends with the Sala à Manger, where two huge, out of scale books tower four metres high on an equal number of easels. This large photo album contains an encapsulation of historic materials and trivia, to offer the visitor an immersive glimpse into the Minotti attitude.

Migliore+Servetto Architects