Umberto Riva: Selected Works

This catalogue was published to accompany his exhibition UMBERTO RIVA. OPERE SCELTE at Giustini / Stagetti in Rome (May 6th – June 17th, 2022).

This exhibition originated with the idea of exploring the cross-fertilisation of architecture and design in the work of Umberto Riva: it unfolds through a selection of historic works – among which his iconic lighting solutions – and the collection of furnishing and lamps designed exclusively for the gallery and in part still unknown to a broader public.

The selection, which opens with the architect’s first design project – a rare wicker chaise-longue of 1959 made for Bonacina – demonstrates his personal commitment to original solutions characterised by an open and dynamic approach to project design, enriched by a certain pleasure in the application of traditional modes of production.

Articulated through the use of colour, of light and of pure forms, objects and their surrounding space should, according to Umberto Riva, command multiple and unexpected perspectives: they should never be static or symmetrical, with the aim of always lending the viewer a different, ever more subjective visual experience, depending on their point of view.

The project for the gallery’s new headquarter was developed following these same principles: an open space with subtle yet decisive interventions, permitting the exhibited works to become the protagonists. The paving in white venetian terrazzo finish accentuates the neutrality of the space, the entranceway serves as an insert to the first room, which is in turn vertically accentuated by its high vaulted ceiling. The second room is dominated by a wall of variable height that flanks the stair of Carrara marble slabs that defines the space. The room’s volume is in turn compressed in accord with the mezzanine, creating a shaded exhibition area.

Pages: 128
Dimensions: 212 x 282 mm
Format: Softcover
Language: English
Year: 2022
Publisher: Giustini / Stagetti