Made in Italy : Rethinking a Century of Italian Design
Author(s):
Goods made or designed in Italy enjoy a profile which far outstrips the country's modest manufacturing output. Italy's glorious design heritage and reputation for style and innovation has ‘added value' to products made in Italy. Since 1945, Italian design has commanded an increasing amount of attention from design journalists, critics and consumers. But is Italian design a victim of its own celebrity? Made in Italy brings together leading design historians to explore this question, discussing both the history and significance of design from Italy and its international influence. Addressing a wide range of Italian design fields, including car design, graphic design, industrial and interior design and ceramics, well-known designers such as Alberto Rosselli and Ettore Sottsass, Jr. and iconic brands such as Olivetti, Vespa and Alessi, the book explores the historical, cultural and social influences that shaped Italian design, and how these iconic designs have contributed to the modern canon of Italian-inspired goods.
Review(s):
“Made in Italy investigates the celebrated history of industrial design in modern Italy. It examines what makes an object Italian in a world characterized by increasingly interconnected production, marketing, and consumption networks…The book does several things well: it describes the complex synthesis of regional, national, and international influences that have combined to affect how Italian design is understood; brings attention to the influence of craft on Italian design history; and offers an extensive, up-to-date bibliography. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-division undergraduates and above; general readers.” —A. R. Michelson, University of Washington Libraries, CHOICE
ISBN: 9780857853899