Gae Aulenti is an Italian

Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

 architect

Architect

An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...

, lighting and interior designer, and industrial designer. She is well known for several large-scale museum projects, including Musée d'Orsay

Musée d'Orsay

The Musée d'Orsay is a museum in Paris, France, on the left bank of the Seine. It is housed in the former Gare d'Orsay, an impressive Beaux-Arts railway station built between 1898 and 1900. The museum holds mainly French art dating from 1848 to 1915, including paintings, sculptures, furniture,...

 in Paris

Paris

Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...

 (1980–86), the Contemporary Art Gallery at the Centre Pompidou in Paris, the Palazzo Grassi

Palazzo Grassi

Palazzo Grassi is an edifice in the Venetian Classical style located on the Grand Canal of Venice, northern Italy...

 in Venice

Venice

Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...

 (1985–86), and the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco

Asian Art Museum of San Francisco

The Asian Art Museum of San Francisco is a museum in San Francisco, California, United States. It has one of the most comprehensive collections of Asian art in the world....

 (2000–2003). Gae was one of the few women designing in the postwar period in Italy, and created many elegant pieces.

A native of Palazzolo dello Stella

Palazzolo dello Stella

Palazzolo dello Stella is a comune in the Province of Udine in the Italian region Friuli-Venezia Giulia, located about 60 km northwest of Trieste and about 30 km southwest of Udine.-External links:*...

 (Friuli

Friuli

Friuli is an area of northeastern Italy with its own particular cultural and historical identity. It comprises the major part of the autonomous region Friuli-Venezia Giulia, i.e. the province of Udine, Pordenone, Gorizia, excluding Trieste...

), she studied in Milan

Milan

Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...

. She worked for the design magazine Casabella

Casabella

Casabella is an Italian architectural and product design magazine with a focus on modern, radical design. It includes interviews with the world's most prominent architects....

 from 1955 until 1965 as an art director, and become part of a group of young professionals influenced by the philosophy of Ernesto Nathan Rogers

Ernesto Nathan Rogers

Ernesto Nathan Rogers was an Italian architect, writer and educator.-Biography:Born in Trieste, Italy he graduated from the Politecnico di Milano, Italy in 1932...

.
Aulenti has also occasionally worked as a stage designer for Luca Ronconi

Luca Ronconi

Luca Ronconi is an Italian actor, theater director, and opera director.- Biography :After growing up in Tunisia, where his mother was a school teacher, he graduated from the Academy of Dramatic Art in Rome in 1953. He acted in productions of Luigi Squarzina, Orazio Costa, Michelangelo Antonioni...

.

HISTORY
Gae studied to be an architect at the Milan Polytechnic Faculty of Architecture and graduated in 1959. She worked for the magazine Casabella Continuita doing graphic design work and later served on the board of directors for the re-named Lotus International magaizine. Gae taught, after getting her doctorate, at Venice School of Architecture from 1960-1962 and at the Milan School of Architecture from 1964- 1967. During this time Gae also designed for a department store, La Rinascente and later designed furniture for Zanotta, where she created two of her most well known pieces,the "April" folding chair which was made from stainless steel with a removable cover, and her "Sanmarco" table constructed from plate- glass. She then also served as vice- president of the Association Of Industrial Design.

STYLE
Gae worked in the post-war period of Italy while creating pieces that spanned across a wide variety of styles and influences. She did however always want the focus of the room to be the occupants, she believed the people make the room a room and to not overpower. She had a modest style, Vogue has her saying "advice to whoever asks me how to make a home is to not have anything, just a few shelves for books, some pillows to sit on. And then, to take a stand against the ephemeral, against passing trends...and to return to lasting values."

AWARDS
Aulenti was given first prize at the 1964 Milan Triennial for her piece in the Italian Pavilion. Her piece was a room with mirrored wall with cutout silhouettes of women inspired by Picasso. It was entitled "Arrivo al Mare". She also served on the Executive Board for the Triennial from 1977- 1980.

External links

• Biography of Gae Aulenti from "R 20th Century Gallery"
• Musée d'Orsay Official Website
• Gae Aulenti - Design Dictionary Illustrated article about Gae Aulenti