History

The Aldo Rossi Foundation started in 2005 and was established in 2007 by the architect’s heirs Vera and Fausto Rossi with the aim of disseminating and protecting Aldo Rossi’s work, in all its complexity and richness.

Under the scientific direction of Germano Celant first and of Chiara Spangaro after, the primary mission of the Foundation consisted in the collection and ordering of Aldo Rossi’s work in one virtual corpus. It began with with the published and unpublished drawings and documents that the Foundation manages, together with the copyright and author’s right on the architect’s overall production – architecture and design; theoretical, academic and personal writings, and more.

Led by the Foundation, studies and cultural promotion, as well as scientific knowledge and cultural initiatives as exhibitions, publications, lectures and other cultural events on Rossi, are the result of the Foundation tight collaboration with leading Italian and international institutions.

Aldo Rossi Foundation is therefore in constant dialogue with museums and institutions who have in their collections drawings, paintings and maquettes, furniture pieces, and objects designed by the architect, and documents on his professional course. Among others: Bonnefanten Museum, Maastricht; CCA. Canadian Center for Architecture, Montreal; Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris; DAM. Deutsches Architektur Museum, Frankfurt am Main; The J. Paul Getty Trust, Los Angeles; Iuav University, Venice; MAXXI. Museo nazionale delle arti del XXI secolo, Rome; Politecnico di Milano.

The Foundation can also count on the dialogues with some of the Architect’s former colleagues and collaborators, as well as with the photographers who have worked with Rossi, or their Estates. Documentation of his work over time was produced by Gabriele Basilico, Luigi Ghirri, Palladium Photodesign, Stefano Topuntoli, and Nàcasa & Partners, just to name some.

Finally, more information and collaboration is brought by the relationship with the companies who produced furniture and objects designed by Rossi, from Alessi to Molteni&C, from Artemide to UniFor, from Bruno Longoni atelier d’arredamento to ARP Studio. All the teams are essential for researching the historical documentation and making it available to the Aldo Rossi Foundation, as well as guaranteeing the continuity of production and the inclusion of these works in the broader spectrum of Rossi’s activity.