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XL
XL books are at least 34 cm (13.4 in.) high, with the exception of landscape-format titles

Entryways of Milan. Ingressi di Milano

70Edition: Multilingual (English, Italian)Availability: In Stock
First impressions count, especially in Milano. In this unprecedented photographic journey, editor Karl Kolbitz curates 144 of the finest Milanese entrance halls from 1920 to 1970. Sumptuous in diversity and splendor, the volume features some of Milan’s most famous architects, from Gio Ponti to Piero Portaluppi, and showcases the city’s design DNA across high to low architecture.
Hardcover10.2 x 13.4 in.7.23 lb384 pages
XL
XL books are at least 34 cm (13.4 in.) high, with the exception of landscape-format titles
Entryways of Milan. Ingressi di Milano

Entryways of Milan. Ingressi di Milano

70

Bella Figura

Milan’s sumptuous modernist hallways

First impressions count, especially in Milano. In this unprecedented photographic journey, editor Karl Kolbitz opens the door to 144 of the city’s most sumptuous entrance halls, captivating in their diversity and splendor. These vibrant Milanese entryways, until now hidden away behind often restrained façades, are revealed as dazzling examples of Italian modernism, mediating public and private space with vivid configurations of color and form, from floors of juxtaposed stones to murals of minimalist geometry.

The collection spans buildings from 1920 to 1970 and showcases the work of some of the city’s most illustrious architects and designers, including Giovanni Muzio, Gio Ponti, Piero Portaluppi, and Luigi Caccia Dominioni, as well as non-pedigreed architecture of equal impact and interest. The photographs for the publication were exclusively shot by Delfino Sisto Legnani, Paola Pansini, and Matthew Billings, each evoking the entryways with individual sensibility and a stylistic interplay of detail shots—such as stones, door handles, and handrails—with larger architectural views.

The images are accompanied by concise contributions from Penny Sparke, Fabrizio Ballabio, Lisa Hockemeyer, Daniel Sherer, Brian Kish, and Grazia Signori, together bringing a wealth of architecture, design, and natural stone expertise to guide the reader through the applied materials and fittings as well as the art-historical and social implications of each of the ingressi. As much an architectural city guide as an aesthetic study, the book provides the exact address and an annotated Milan map for all featured entryways, as well as the architect name and date of construction.

In the well-documented realm of 20th-century Italian design, Kolbitz has stepped over the threshold and delivered a brand new area of inquiry in Milanese modernism. With the rigor of its multifaceted research, poised photography, and breadth of its featured hallways, this is an invigorating new reference work and an inside look at the city’s design DNA across high to low architecture.
The contributing authors

Brian Kish is a 20th-century Italian architecture and design historian, with a focus on BBPR, Caccia Dominioni, Gardella, and Ponti. He curated, in 2001, the first US exhibition on Gio Ponti and wrote for both Entryways of Milan and Gio Ponti Archi-Designer (M.A.D. Paris).

Daniel Sherer teaches architectural history and theory at Columbia GSAPP and Yale School of Architecture. His research focuses on the modern reception of humanist architecture and on Italian modernism. Dr. Sherer has published extensively in journals in Europe and the U.S. including Artforum, Domus, Log, Perspecta, and Journal of Architecture.

Fabrizio Ballabio is an architect and writer. He teaches history and theories studies at the Architectural Association (AA) and the Royal College of Art (RCA) and is a founding member of åyr.

Grazia Signori has been working in the dimension stone sector (testing and identification) since 2001. Her research focuses on the petrographical composition and technical properties of natural stones. She is a Visiting Professor at several Italian universities, including Politecnico di Milano and the Earth Sciences Department of Università di Milano and regularly publishes in Italian journals.

Lisa Hockemeyer lectures on design history and criticism at the Polytechnic University of Milan and Istituto Marangoni. Her research focuses on 20th-century Italian design, industry, art, and ceramics. Dr. Hockemeyer has published widely and curated exhibitions in both Italy and the UK. She is Visiting Research Fellow at Kingston University, UK.

Penny Sparke is Professor of design history and Director of the Modern Interiors Research Centre at Kingston University, UK. She has lectured, curated exhibitions, broadcast, and published widely on design history, including her own books An Introduction to Design and Culture, 1900 to the Present and Design in Context. Professor Sparke is an Honorary Senior Fellow of the Royal College of Art.

The photographers

Delfino Sisto Legnani lives and works in Milan. His photography has been featured in a number of international magazines as well as in leading culture forums like the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, La Triennale in Milan, and the Venice Biennale of Architecture in 2012 and 2014.

Matthew Billings is a Berlin-based photographer and video artist whose work considers the intersection of moving and still imagery and the formal shifts brought about by technological advance. His work has been featured in magazines including Basso, Butt, and Paper.

Paola Pansini lives and works in Milan. Her photography focuses on still life and interiors and has been featured by some of the most prestigious fashion houses, international magazines, and architecture studios, including Armani, Prada, Valentino, Wallpaper*, Esquire, and David Chipperfield Architects.

The editor

Based in Berlin, freelance editor and art director Karl Kolbitz worked with Mario Testino and Wolfgang Tillmans for many years, before founding his own creative practice focusing on the development and design of publications, such as Entryways of Milan and Gio Ponti.

Entryways of Milan. Ingressi di Milano
Hardcover26 x 34 cm3.28 kg384 pages

ISBN 978-3-8365-6418-2

Edition: Multilingual (English, Italian)
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4.8

/5

13 Ratings

A Milanese must-have book

Aurelio,November 7, 2021
This book MUST be present in every single house in Milan. It perfectly describes the beauty of the city and how Milanese citizens see art and architecture. If you want a whole experience of the honest Milan, this is the book.

A must have

MT,October 29, 2021
One of the best book to discover the most beautiful private entryways of Milano.

A cult to have at home

Luca,October 28, 2021
A book so special to have at home. It is so unexpected to discover how much beauty is in one step away from the street. The photos, so sharp, do justice to the reality and the work of the architects. Buy it.

Un libro meraviglioso

Isabella,October 27, 2021
Un libro assolutamente consigliato! Un progetto davvero interessante che fa vedere Milano da un punto di vista nuovo e inaspettato. Una Milano diversa, magari sconosciuta e che non ti aspetti, che solo l'occhio di un grande fotografo può mettere in luce.

An astonishing look at Milan's bourgeois taste

Michele,October 27, 2021
Wonderful illustrations and informative texts make this book a valuable addition to any collection, both for architecture fans and for estimators of 20th-century Italian style.