Franco Albini 1905–1977

Franco Albini was born in Robbiate (Como). He graduated with a degree in architecture from the Politecnico in Milan in 1929. The following year, he opened his own architecture studio, concentrating on product and exhibition design, and becoming one of the world’s most significant designers in this field during the course of his career. In 1945 and 1946, he directed the architectural review Casabella, and between 1949 and 1977, he turned to teaching, first at the universities in Venice and Turin until 1963, then at the Politecnico in Milan. His works are characterized by a rational severity, which is evident in works such as the renovation and interior design of the Palazzo Bianco in Genoa (1950), the design for the display of the Treasure of San Lorenzo in Genoa (1952) in collaboration with Franca Helg, and the restoration of the Palazzo Rosso in Genoa (1952-1961). His successful work in the field of design is noted for the essential elegance which distinguishes his many furniture projects, such as the Margherita armchair for Bonacina (1950), the Fiorenza armchair for Artflex (1952), the Luisa chair for Poggi (1954), and the Credenza (1967) designed in collaboration with Franca Helg. This partnership also produced the collection of glass pieces designed for San Lorenzo S.r.l. and crafted by Salviati. In the early ’60s, in collaboration with Franca Helg and Bob Noorda, he designed the stations’ furnishings and signage for Milan’s Subway Line 1.

Photograph by Luca Vignelli
Anemone
Salviati & C., 1971
Information
Photograph by Luca Vignelli

Franca Helg, Franco Albini AnemoneSalviati & C., 1971

Vase in cristallo glass cased in yellow glass. It is part of a series of vases designed by Albini and Helg for San Lorenzo S.r.l. in Milan in the Anemone, Fresia, Forsizia variations.

Engraved: Salviati per San Lorenzo Albini-Helg.
5 3/4 in, high. (14.6 cm)

Exhibitions:
1972, Vienna, Industrial Design
aus Italien;
2001, Milan, Murano: Vetri dalla Collezione Olnick Spanu, Spazio Oberdan.

Bibliography and comparative texts:
Industrial Design…, 1972, p. 34;
Olnick Spanu, 2001, n. 197.

Workshop
Photograph by Luca Vignelli

Salviati & C.  1877–

In 1859, Antonio Salviati, a lawyer, founded the “Salviati Dott. Antonio fu Bartolomeo” furnaces. With the help of Lorenzo Radi and Enrico Pondio, he developed a new method of making mosaic with glass. The mosaic tesserae that decorate the dome of St. Paul’s Cathedral and the Hall of the House of Parliament in London, the Opera Theatre in Paris, and many others were made by Salviati.

In 1877, Salviati founded Salviati & C. in Murano, employing some of the best glass masters operating at that time: Antonio Camozzo and the talented Giovanni, Giuseppe, Benvenuto and Benedetto Barovier. They created a collection of glasses, stemware, bowls, chandeliers and vases, and a range of etched pieces. Salviati, who was known for his innovation, is recognized for the rediscovery of the avventurina, a fiamma, and opalino types of glass.

Antonio Salviati died in 1890 and at the beginning of the 20th century the company became property of Maurizio Camerino, a young glassmaker who had started his craft at Salviati & C. During the 1930s, the Camerino family decided to abandon the production of mosaic to focus on the making of decorative objects and lighting. In the 1950s, with Luciano Gaspari as the new artistic director of Salviati & C., the company developed frequent collaborations with architects such as Sergio Asti, Romano Chirivi, and Vinicio Vianello, as well as with international designers such as Heinz Oestergaard and Claire Falkenstein.

Today, Salviati remains one of the most representative companies for glassmaking in the world and continues to establish collaborations with many inspiring designers.

Anemone
Salviati & C., 1971