Museo: Fondazione Marcello Morandini

The Figure of Marcello Morandini

Marcello Morandini, born in Mantua in nineteen forty and residing in Varese since nineteen forty-seven, is one of the major exponents of Concrete Art in Europe. He began his career in nineteen sixty-four with a solo exhibition curated by Germano Celant. He participated in international events, such as the Ninth São Paulo Biennial (nineteen sixty-seven) and the Thirty-fourth Venice Biennale (nineteen sixty-eight), and held a retrospective at the Kestnergesellschaft in Hanover (nineteen seventy-two) and participated in Documenta Six in Kassel (nineteen seventy-seven). In the nineteen eighties, he collaborated with architectural firms in Singapore and Kuala Lumpur, and designed the facade of the Thomas factory in Germany (nineteen eighty-four). He held solo exhibitions in museums in Tokyo, Bochum, Verona, Helsinki, and others. In nineteen eighty-eight, he designed a sculpture for the museum in Ingolstadt. In nineteen ninety-three, he held an anthological exhibition at the Die Neue Sammlung Museum in Munich, and in nineteen ninety-four at the Palacio Galveias in Lisbon. He taught art and design from nineteen ninety-five to two thousand and one in various academies, including Salzburg and Lausanne. In two thousand and four, he was elected an honorary member of the Royal Society of Arts in London. The Wilhelm-Hack-Museum dedicated three exhibitions to him and commissioned a sculpture for the museum square. In two thousand and five, he inaugurated an exhibition at the Ritter Museum in Waldenbuch and in two thousand and seven designed the cultural center "Das kleine Museum" in Germany. In two thousand and eight, the Ca' Pesaro Museum in Venice hosted his exhibition, which was transferred to the Neues Museum in Nuremberg in two thousand and nine. In two thousand and ten, he created an eleven-meter sculpture for the Europäisches Industriemuseum in Plößberg and a retrospective at the Casa del Mantegna in Mantua. In two thousand and fourteen, he presented an exhibition at the Kunstmuseum in Bayreuth and a retrospective at the National Gallery of Modern Art in Rome. In two thousand and seventeen, he held a retrospective at the MA*GA Museum in Gallarate and in two thousand and eighteen an exhibition at the Scuola Grande della Misericordia in Venice. In two thousand and nineteen, he published the Catalogue Raisonné edited by Skira and is currently working on the Marcello Morandini Foundation, with the aim of creating a museum and center for Concrete Art in Italy.

From Villa to Foundation

The villa was built on a large plot of land in the heart of Varese. Enrico Zanotti, a respected and well-known local doctor, designed it precisely in nineteen oh seven, in a completely different city with fewer buildings, less crowded streets, less noise, and fewer people. Since then, the villa remained the property of the Zanotti family, hosting multiple generations through wars and social, political, and economic transformations. The decision to sell it materialized in two thousand seventeen when Marcello Morandini and Teresa, his wife, saw it and immediately fell in love, already thinking about transforming that splendid residence into the headquarters of the Marcello Morandini Foundation. In the magnificent spaces of the villa, located in the heart of the city, the Marcello Morandini Foundation is dedicated to preserving and enhancing the artworks, design pieces, and architectural projects of Marcello Morandini. His production presents itself as a synthesis of the arts, in which the artist measures the human dimension by identifying and generating spaces through infinite geometry. The Foundation's purpose is also to promote international Concrete and Constructivist Art through exhibition programs, conferences, and publications, with the aim of making the Foundation one of the main institutions in Europe for this specific artistic movement.

The Exhibition Route

Over nine hundred and thirty square meters spread across four floors, a large park (three thousand three hundred square meters) with centuries-old trees and exotic plants. The first floor of the villa (basement level) hosts international temporary exhibitions, with the exhibition activity focused on Concrete and Constructivist Art, curated by international personalities. The second floor (raised ground floor), where the conservative restoration has succeeded in creating a wonderful dialogue between modern and contemporary, is dedicated to events and partly to temporary exhibitions. The third floor (first floor) is entirely dedicated to the permanent collection. The route is articulated through three historical periods that follow the artistic evolution of the Master from nineteen sixty-four up to the nineties and two thousands. The last and fourth floor of the villa, still undergoing renovation, will be reserved for the artist's studio, offices, and the Foundation's archive. To complete the building's conversion and connect the four floors, an external glass elevator designed by Master Morandini will be installed.