Crafting Design in Italy, From Post-war to Postmodernism

摘要

The persistence of craft and artisans alongside designers and entrepreneurs in Italy has often been observed by protagonists and commentators in the field, who have regarded it as either a challenge to the affirmation of industrial design in this country or an opportunity for cultural and economic distinction. However, despite some windows having been opened by scholarship on individual designers' involvement with craftsmanship, and on issues of gender, craft and design (particularly by Penny Sparke and Anty Pansera), up to now, we have been lacking a comprehensive historical analysis of the multifaceted role that craft has played in Italian design culture. This is a gap which Catharine Rossi, with her book Crafting Design in Italy (based on her doctoral research at the Royal College of Art and Victoria & Albert Museum in 2008-2011), intends to begin filling, by addressing the period from after the Second World War to the early 1980s and the areas of furniture and product design as they were advanced mainly by architects active around Milan.