Michelangelo Sabatino, professor at IIT College of Architecture, is co-author of a book highlighting the life and work of Carlo Mollino that has been selected as one of the Most Beautiful Swiss Books, awarded annually by the Swiss Federal Office of Culture since 1998. The book will be part of an exhibition at the Helmhaus Zurich open from June 22 until June 25.
Carlo Mollino: Architect and Storyteller, penned by Sabatino and Napoleone Ferrari and published by Park Books, documents the influential twentieth-century Italian interior designer, photographer, and architect.The publication is the “first carefully researched and comprehensive study of Mollino’s architectural work,” the book’s summary states. “Drawing on rich archival materials, as well as Mollino’s own writings, [the authors] argue persuasively that, while Mollino realized relatively few projects, his contributions to architecture—and, in particular, the Modernist movement—are both significant and distinctive due to Mollino’s strong affinity with surrealism.”
While Mollino is known for his highly desirable furniture designs and a large stash of risque photos found after his death, this book features his architectural works, including the Italian opera house Teatro Regio, the Torino Chamber of Commerce, and the Lago Negro chairlift station. Among the featured photos and designs are illustrations and essays from the two authors to “round out this overdue tribute to an extraordinary personality of twentieth-century architecture,” the summary states.