More than 450 signed drawings by 150 Italian and international designers

Milan, 10th April – 9th May, 2010
Villa Necchi Campiglio, Via Mozart 14
Triennale Bovisa, Via Lambruschini 31

Saturday, 10th April, 2010 will see the opening to the public of “The Hand of the Designer”, an exhibition organised by FAI - Fondo Ambiente Italiano (the Italian National Trust) and alterstudio partners. On show will be more than 450 signed drawings and sketches by more than 150 of the most renowned Italian and international designers, which they have kindly donated to FAI.

The initiative, launched in the wake of the great success of 2009’s “The Hand of the Architect”, has once again been conceived and curated by Francesca Serrazanetti and Matteo Schubert, and this year has benefitted from the input of FAI’s design expert Doia Giovanola. 150 of the leading contemporary designers from around the world responded enthusiastically to the appeal, donating signed drawings and sketches of their projects to support FAI.

A selection of the drawings on show will form the basis for an auction orchestrated by Sotheby’s, which is set to be held on Thursday, 13th May at Villa Necchi Campiglio – an FAI-owned property located in the heart of Milan, which has been open to the public for two years. Even if you cannot make it on the day, it will still be possible to leave your bid in the boxes located in the exhibition venues.

The compiled drawings speak of the designers’ personal approaches to an idea – be it one of form or function, or perhaps of a colour or a material. They underline how drawings are really thoughts jotted down on paper, using a personal yet universal language, providing a vital description of something that is not yet there but wants to materialise.

Hot on the heels of last year’s initiative, which focused on the world of architecture, “The Hand of the Designer” was an almost obligatory next step, a natural extension of what is an analogous, complementary discourse. Indeed, design as used in the field of industrial design is very similar to that which is used in the field of architecture. At times, the attention to minute detail is more evident in architecture, and at other times it is more so in design. The expressive languages can be more patently artistic in one sphere than in the other. In short, the difference between the two disciplines/professions is difficult to demarcate.

The designers were given entirely free rein in the choice of material to submit. This has made it possible to put together an extremely wide-ranging set of documents: rapidly drawn sketches or scribbles of lines that follow on from each other almost as if the pencil never once came off the sheet; compulsive handwriting that, at the speed of the sketch, succeeds in miraculously restoring the character of the work, with the sort of effectiveness that no working drawing or final rendering can ever achieve; paper collages and bas reliefs; signs traced out to recount an idea; or rushed annotations made on a paper napkin.

The designers who participated include the following (the full list is provided in the appendix): Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec, Barber Osbergy, Sebastian Bergne, Francesco Binfarè, Aldo Cibic, Matali Crasset, Alberto Meda, Werner Aisslinger, Enzo Mari, Makio Hasuike, Mario Bellini, Carlo Bartoli, Cini Boeri, Alvaro Siza, Mario Botta, Antonio Citterio, Fernando and Humberto Campana, Michele De Lucchi, Karim Rashid, Alessandro Mendini, James Irvine, Ross Lovegrove, Satyendra Pakhallé, Jaen-Marie Massaud, Massimo Iosa Ghini, Michael Graves, Jerszy Seymour, Johanna Grawunder, Marti Guixé, Marc Sadler, Denis Santachiara and Oscar Tusquets.

As before, the exhibition will be accompanied by a beautiful catalogue produced by Moleskine (www.moleskine.com), which on this occasion will be showcased in a new version with a white cover. The 361 pages of the catalogue present all of the works, the genesis of the project and a number of essays that highlight the fundamental relationship between creativity, design and drawing. The catalogue is complemented by a Moleskine sketchbook: 120 blank pages awaiting new drawings, sketches and projects.

“The Hand of the Designer” is an initiative by FAI - Fondo Ambiente Italiano and alterstudio partners (www.alterstudiopartners.com), conceived and curated by Francesca Serrazanetti and Matteo Schubert with supervision from FAI’s design expert Doia Giovanola, in collaboration with Triennale Bovisa, Galleria Antonia Jannone and Sotheby’s. The initiative has also been enhanced by crucial contributions from Artemide, BTicino, Dornbracht and Pirelli, with support from Cosmit, Fondazione Cosmit Eventi and Alessia International, under the patronage of Milan City Council and the ADI – Associazione per il Disegno Industriale.
Media partner: Abitare.

Exhibition venues: Villa Necchi Campiglio and La Triennale Bovisa.

Entry to the exhibition is free.

Opening hours and information:
FAI - Villa Necchi Campiglio, Via Mozart 14, Milan - Tel. +39 02 76340121
Opening hours: Wednesday–Sunday, 10am–6pm. From 14th to 18th April, 10am–10pm.
During the exhibition, it will be possible to take a guided tour around Villa Necchi Campiglio. Tours of the Villa are available on a first-come, first-served basis; please check the times of the tours at the box office when purchasing your ticket.
www.fondoambiente.it - www.lamanodeldesigner.it
Triennale Bovisa, Via Lambruschini 31 – tel. +39 02 36577801 Tuesday–Sunday 11am– 9pm; during the Milan Furniture Fair (14th-19th April) 11am–10pm  www.triennalebovisa.it 

FAI Press Office
Simonetta Biagioni – press – tel. +39 02 46761519 s.biagioni@fondoambiente.it
Novella Mirri – radio and television – tel. +39 06 32652596 ufficiostampa@novellamirri.it