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Carlo Mollino, a jack of all trades
Born in Turin on May 6, 1905 and died on August 29, 1973, Carlo Mollino is a character who marked the world of design and architecture between the wars. Architect, designer, journalist, theorist, author, photographer, experimenter of new technologies, passionate about skiing, mechanics, cars and aviation, Carlo Mollino is a jack of all trades. A brilliant theoretician in many fields, a graduate in architecture and a teacher at the Faculty of Politecnico in Turin, Carlo Mollino obviously excels in this field, which is very close to his heart. The Turin Hippic Society (1937-1940) and the Teatro Regio in Turin bear witness to this, achievements today considered to be true masterpieces of the history of architecture. Recognized as one of the greatest Italian architects of the inter-war period, he designed extraordinary interior fittings and furniture, always made as unique pieces. Carlo Mollino is known for being a pioneer in the aesthetic language of form, a sculptor in the obsessive and anthropomorphic dynamics of his furniture, an architect with "dangerous" balances, with slender and empirical lines suspended in a reinvented space.
Also a talented photographer, it was in the 1930s that he devoted himself mainly to surreal and symbolist photography, with black and white photos. In 1950, in parallel with these various activities, he published "Architettura Arte e Tecnica", a work which earned him recognition and respect in his profession as an architect. The same year, he signed "Il Messaggio dalla Camera Oscura", a captivating text dealing with photography. Still in the 1950s, he produced exclusively female portraits, and, from 1962, he would only use the Polaroid technique. Experimenting with new technologies, he is also closely interested in skiing, mechanics, automobiles, or aviation and has also invented a new concept of downhill skiing. We know that he is also an excellent driver of aerobatic cars and planes. In 1960, he began the realization of a personal project around a secret house, which he unfortunately never lived. This exceptional residence has now become the Museo Casa Mollino, founded by Fulvio and Napoleone Ferrari in 1999. 
An exhibition not to be missed
To better understand the scope of the work and the diversity of activities of this eccentric esthete, the Italian Cultural Institute in Paris and the Museo Casa Mollino in Turin have joined forces to create an exhibition as abundant and daring as the life of Carlo Mollino. Between projects, drawings, architectural and automobile models, Polaroid photographs and original furniture, the exhibition offers the public particularly rare and rarely exposed documents. In total, more than a hundred photographs illustrating, year after year, each activity of this colorful character, are presented.
Note: a special place was also reserved for the "Casa del Sole" project (1947-1955). Located in Cervinia, in the Aosta Valley in Italy, this astonishing achievement shelters some of the most beautiful pieces imagined by Carlo Mollino; an opportunity for the general public to discover them, or to rediscover them. Recently, during a Christie's sale in New York, five of these exceptional pieces of furniture were bought for three million dollars each, further proof, if any, of the influence of Mollino's work. In Turin, the Museo Casa Mollino has been fitted out in the very particular interior that the architect had imagined for him. In this place dedicated to research, promotion and dissemination, as well as the authentication of Mollino's work, the most complete documentary archives retracing his activity as a designer are kept. 
Italian Cultural Institute Hôtel de Galliffet 73, rue de Grenelle, Paris 7eme Monday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. - free entry More info on //www.iicparigi.esteri.it/
