Saul Steinberg. Milan
Exhibition.
Environmental Graphics.
Lighting.
Triennale Milano / viale Alemagna 6. Milan / October 2021 / Triennale Milano, Electa
Saul Steinberg. Milan
Exhibition.
Environmental Graphics.
Lighting.
Triennale Milano / viale Alemagna 6. Milan / October 2021 / Triennale Milano, Electa
The set up designed for the retrospective dedicated to Saul Steinberg by Triennale Milano and Electa encompasses the Curve on the first floor of Triennale di Milano, defining a unique, spacious exhibition environment. Following and emphasizing the architectonic sinuosity of the space, the exhibition design builds up a fluid narration around the Romanian illustrator’s rich artistic body of work. There are no breaks in the pathway proposed by the curatorship of Italo Lupi, Marco Belpoliti and Francesca Pellicciari, but rather the set-up defines the reading pace and at the same time encourages visitors to move freely within the space.
This latter is introduce in the core of the exhibition by means of a sort of prospective telescope made by two imposing graphic wings. Towering 4 meters high, they present a critical text and offer a narration on the life of Steinberg. The 16-meter-high biographic wall thus lead visitors to discover the first chapter of the exhibition. Five white metal tubular double-sided cases mark the pathway and house a selection of works. The deep-view effect of the display plane – almost like a limbo – is combined with accurate control of the lighting integrated into the plane to enhance the artistic apparatus and facilitate the reading. A large full-height back-projection of strong scenic impact matches and playfully overlaps several photographic portraits of Steinberg and others drawn by his own hand. A prelude to the second chapter of the exhibition is provided by the area dedicated to the Labyrinth of Children, created on the occasion of the X Triennale. Here, drawings of the plans and perspectives for this project offer an opportunity to reflect on the playful nature of the concept of the labyrinth, in dialogue with the original drawings by Steinberg and one of the Mobiles made by Alexander Calder, which fluctuates, suspended in the void. This is a weightless sculpture that appears to be built around the void using iron wine. As the central core of the exhibition, visitors meet the 4 “Leporelli” in succession, which were produced by Steinberg for Milan within the Labyrinth as part of the 1954 Triennale. These drawings unroll for 25 meters along the left wall, supported by an exhibition system that develops on three lines while its structure emphasizes the lightness of the apparatus on display. On the opposite side, a dynamic 63-meters-long bookcase fully embraces the curvilinear space of the gallery, unfurling a narration on Steinberg’s main works. The white metal tube takes on light shapes to host wide planes that open up like large, out-of-scale books, offering visitors the view of the artworks of this section. The exhibition pace is marked by seven high vertical and narrative walls with strong sulphurous yellow accents that offer in-depth information on the different sections. The succession of concave and convex, solids and voids built by the bookcase system thus defines an exhibition landscape that dialogues with the architectural space. At the centre of the gallery, the narration continues with tables and cases alternating with seats to create a resting area for observing the artworks. At the end of the visit, a multimedia area is conceived to display the 88 New Yorker covers designed by Steinberg, which are displayed one after the next within three metal mesh light structures with integrated monitors. Further in-depth multimedia content can be enjoyed thanks to a wall that ends the path. The result is a set-up that works on the lightness of the sign to build a traversable landscape made up of individual episodes that present each artwork and its unique features. Targeted lighting design is integrated into the structures and defines the space for the reading and enhancement of each work, and at the same time it defines the isolation from the architectural context that hosts them, allowing the architecture designed by Munzio to be interpreted in its entirety.
In collaboration with Italo Lupi
Photo by Leo Torri












The set up designed for the retrospective dedicated to Saul Steinberg by Triennale Milano and Electa encompasses the Curve on the first floor of Triennale di Milano, defining a unique, spacious exhibition environment. Following and emphasizing the architectonic sinuosity of the space, the exhibition design builds up a fluid narration around the Romanian illustrator’s rich artistic body of work. There are no breaks in the pathway proposed by the curatorship of Italo Lupi, Marco Belpoliti and Francesca Pellicciari, but rather the set-up defines the reading pace and at the same time encourages visitors to move freely within the space. This latter is introduce in the core of the exhibition by means of a sort of prospective telescope made by two imposing graphic wings. Towering 4 meters high, they present a critical text and offer a narration on the life of Steinberg. The 16-meter-high biographic wall thus lead visitors to discover the first chapter of the exhibition. Five white metal tubular double-sided cases mark the pathway and house a selection of works. The deep-view effect of the display plane – almost like a limbo – is combined with accurate control of the lighting integrated into the plane to enhance the artistic apparatus and facilitate the reading. A large full-height back-projection of strong scenic impact matches and playfully overlaps several photographic portraits of Steinberg and others drawn by his own hand. A prelude to the second chapter of the exhibition is provided by the area dedicated to the Labyrinth of Children, created on the occasion of the X Triennale. Here, drawings of the plans and perspectives for this project offer an opportunity to reflect on the playful nature of the concept of the labyrinth, in dialogue with the original drawings by Steinberg and one of the Mobiles made by Alexander Calder, which fluctuates, suspended in the void. This is a weightless sculpture that appears to be built around the void using iron wine. As the central core of the exhibition, visitors meet the 4 “Leporelli” in succession, which were produced by Steinberg for Milan within the Labyrinth as part of the 1954 Triennale. These drawings unroll for 25 meters along the left wall, supported by an exhibition system that develops on three lines while its structure emphasizes the lightness of the apparatus on display. On the opposite side, a dynamic 63-meters-long bookcase fully embraces the curvilinear space of the gallery, unfurling a narration on Steinberg’s main works. The white metal tube takes on light shapes to host wide planes that open up like large, out-of-scale books, offering visitors the view of the artworks of this section. The exhibition pace is marked by seven high vertical and narrative walls with strong sulphurous yellow accents that offer in-depth information on the different sections. The succession of concave and convex, solids and voids built by the bookcase system thus defines an exhibition landscape that dialogues with the architectural space. At the centre of the gallery, the narration continues with tables and cases alternating with seats to create a resting area for observing the artworks. At the end of the visit, a multimedia area is conceived to display the 88 New Yorker covers designed by Steinberg, which are displayed one after the next within three metal mesh light structures with integrated monitors. Further in-depth multimedia content can be enjoyed thanks to a wall that ends the path. The result is a set-up that works on the lightness of the sign to build a traversable landscape made up of individual episodes that present each artwork and its unique features. Targeted lighting design is integrated into the structures and defines the space for the reading and enhancement of each work, and at the same time it defines the isolation from the architectural context that hosts them, allowing the architecture designed by Munzio to be interpreted in its entirety.
In collaboration with Italo Lupi
Photo by Leo Torri











