The foundation is open for visits by appointment only. Call +39.02.4982378 or book at info@fondazionefrancoalbini.com.

Created in the original studio that housed Franco Albini and Franca Helg, the Milanese architects, intellectuals and designers, the Foundation aims to promote Albini’s ever-relevant design methods. It showcases unique design pieces and preserves the entire archive from 1929 to today, including over twenty thousand drawings and an extensive photographic archive with thousands of vintage photos and slides, as well as documents, letters, books and magazines.

Franco Albini is one of the most representative 20th-century architecture and design figures. Alongside Piero Portaluppi, Achille Castiglioni and Ludovico Magistretti, he underscores Milano’s central role in the development of the most innovative design and architecture projects.

His vast body of work includes the staging of important exhibitions, the crafting of some of the most iconic pieces of interior design and many public works that have shaped the face of Milano, such as the city’s Metro lines 1 and 2, in collaboration with graphic designer Bob Noorda. The latter project won him the prestigious Compasso d’Oro in 1964.

Thanks to a prestigious Scientific Committee composed of cultural figures, the Foundation conducts research, organises exhibitions, workshops and multimedia projects. Through its Academy, it researches and promotes various expressive languages through performances, workshops for children and schools as well as intercultural projects.

NOT TO BE MISSED

Some of the most famous design pieces include: the Radio in Cristallo, the Orion Brionvega television (1961-1962) which won the Compasso d’Oro 1964, the Mitragliera lamp (1938) and the Luisa armchair, winner of Compasso d'Oro 1955.

INTERESTING FACTS

Albini was a student of Gio Ponti, and a mentor to Vittorio Gregotti and Renzo Piano.

Albini often said to his colleagues and friends, without any form of rhetoric, that he found constant inspiration in the tensions existing within society. He expressed them through an almost obsessive attention to detail, along with his desire to combine rational thought and creative imagination, originality and seriality.
>All these aspects can be found in all his works: from the layouts designed for important exhibitions, to the creation of design objects that are now considered part of art history, to the realization of important public works such as the Milano subway, which is documented at the Foundation.

USEFUL DETAILS

Amongst the many activities carried out by the Foundation, they also provide certificates of authenticity for design items on the market.