As part of “From Italy, with Love”, Salone del Mobile has partnered with Bloomingdale’s, the famous New York Department Store, to create the installation “Italian Design: from Classic to Contemporary”, a tribute to new and iconic Made in Italy products by 23 selected brands.

Bloomingdale’s chose the Salone del Mobile, as an authoritative representative of Italy and its cultural richness, to participate in Bloomingdale’s “From Italy, with Love”: a program of exhibitions and activities celebrating Made in Italy and Italian culture and luxury (September 5th to 29th). On September 4th, the Salone del Mobile.Milano will present the installation “Italian Design: from Classic to Contemporary”, a special exhibition dedicated to Italian design and furniture, curated by architect Ferruccio Laviani, who conceived his display based on Giorgio de Chirico’s metaphysical piazzas.

“It is always a thrill to return to New York, the heart of the U.S. market: this is where the Salone meets a design community that is constantly evolving and for which it feels it is a reference in terms of design culture, creativity and industry economics,” says Maria Porro, president of the Salone del Mobile.Milano. “By joining forces with Bloomingdale’s – with which we share a similar vision, an eagerness to move forward and a commitment towards enhancing the heritage of leading brands – we have the opportunity to broaden and strengthen connections with a market that is fundamental for Made in Italy. The exhibition will be an imaginative statement that will unfold into space as a parade of iconic products, conceived as a single installation; it will connect art, architecture, aesthetics and Italian products. In the elegant scenography conceived by Ferruccio Laviani, we will tell the story of Italian innovation and tradition through a program of talks that aim to bring the American public closer to the world of Italian design production. This event also marks the start of the new international tour of the Salone del Mobile: a roadshow made of new formats aimed at strengthening the image of the Salone as a catalyst for transformation, avant-garde and cultural innovation. Italian Design: from Classic to Contemporary will, without a doubt, reflect that very special – and very glamorous – sparkle that is characteristic of Made in Italy,” Porro concludes.

“It is a true honor to share the enhancement of our brand campaign, From Italy, with Love, marked by the partnership and collaboration of the iconic Salone del Mobile,” said Kevin Harter, vice president, Integrated Marketing at Bloomingdale’s. “As the exclusive US partner with a rich history in New York, Bloomingdale’s is thrilled to join forces with Salone del Mobile to celebrate design, creativity, architecture and Italian culture. We feel confident this incredible exhibition, embodying much of what we admire about Italy, will inspire and connect with our customer.”

Italian Design: from Classic to Contemporary

The scenographic display, curated by architect Ferruccio Laviani, is a careful balance between art installation and pop-up experience celebrating icons of Italian design that tell a story of ingenuity, excellent industrial production and the finest craftsmanship. With a curator’s eye, Laviani has selected objects as the most representative pieces from the catalogs of brands that best expressing the value and appeal of Italian furniture and design: Artemide, Edra, Flexform, Flou, Foscarini, Frigerio, Gallotti&Radice, Gessi, Kartell, Lema, Living Divani, Minotti, Molteni&C, Oluce, Porro, Riva 1920, Scavolini, Sigma L2, Tacchini, Technogym, Turri, Villari, Visionnaire.

The display, to be located on the sixth floor in the Home/Furnishing department, is inspired by the squares of Giorgio de Chirico, Italian painter, sculptor and originator of “metaphysical” painting. Like his works, the layout will be characterized by fantastic suggestions and juxtapositions of disparate objects in a space governed by 15th-century perspectives, lit in modern color lights to reveal surprising associations of senses and ideas and transforming the exhibition space into an immersive experience that becomes the focal point of the Salone’s heritage, its eye for the finest design and the creativity of the participating exhibitors.

Fascinated by the metaphysics of de Chirico’s paintings, Laviani has distilled the master’s piazzas and buildings – which are eminently Italian and immediately evocative of the Bel Paese – into wooden screens that serve as backdrops for the design objects on display narrated through the voice of the Salone del Mobile. These two-dimensional screens take on a volume in a manner evocative of the wooden sculptures made only of silhouettes and shapes by another celebrated contemporary Italian sculptor and set designer, Mario Ceroli. In designing the staging, Laviani also paid tribute to two great Italian figures: Luca Ronconi, one of the leading names in Italian theater in the second half of the 20th century (and still renown for the great experiments and innovations that he brought to the stage), and Achille Castiglioni, one of the best-known representatives and founders of Italian design.

“To avoid being too descriptive or unnecessarily iconographic, I added a contemporary and radical touch to the graphic language of the set,” Laviani explains. “The radical movement revolutionized design in the 1960s, in the years when the Salone del Mobile.Milano was born, creating new impulses and expressive languages. Here, Keiichi Tanaami’s works and Heinz Edelmann’s illustrations from George Dunning’s Yellow Submarine meet de Chirico’s squares to create a unique and modern image. The monuments in the squares are the objects of design that I have chosen from the catalogs of the most representative Made in Italy brands, pieces that have become icons of everyday life, and therefore worthy of being displayed on a pedestal.”

Conversations about Italian Design

Throughout the month of September, as part of the “From Italy, with Love” project, Bloomingdale’s will host weekly events aimed at engaging both the New York professional community and lovers of design alike with a rich program of talks and appointments featuring leading figures on the national and international design scene and offering unique opportunities to learn about and experience Italian furniture and design production.

The program of talks, entitled “Conversations about Italian Design”, has been curated by Annalisa Rosso, editorial director & cultural events advisor of the Salone, and will open on September 4th with a panel discussion with Maria Porro, president of the Salone del Mobile.Milano, Kelley Carter, Bloomingdale’s fashion director, Marva Griffin Wilshire, founder and curator of SaloneSatellite, and architect Ferruccio Laviani. Together with Felix Burrichter, founder of PIN-UP magazine, they will discuss the wealth of values, experiences and information that the Salone del Mobile brings to the table as a strategic resource to trigger evolution and the role of Italian furniture brands in the global market. On September 11th, Ingrid Abramovitch, executive editor of ELLE DECOR, will present a dialogue between Eleni Petaloti, co-founder of Objects of Common Interest, and Qiyao Li, associate principal at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, about Italian design as an international reference and future trends in the sector. Then, on September 18th, artist Francesco Simeti and Stefano Giussani, partner & COO of Lissoni Architecture New York will discuss the relationship between contemporary design and classical Italian culture, explore the evolution of the living space, and comment on Ferruccio Laviani's installation. Moderated by Wendy Goodman, design editor of NEW YORK Magazine.

With this partnership the Salone del Mobile.Milano, a global symbol of quality design and furniture, along with its official partners Cà del Bosco, S.Bernardo and illycaffè, resumes its dialogue and engagement with the international design community. From New York’s celebrated Third Avenue, the exhibition will chart new paths and propose original formats and events to consolidate the Salone’s role as a driving force in the sector and a point of reference for a global community of companies, professionals and design lovers in constant expansion and evolution.

When & Where

September 5 to 29, 2024
 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
 Bloomingdale’s 59th Street, Level 6
 1000 Third Ave

New York, NY