ANDREA BRANZI

Andrea Branzi, born in Florence in 1938, is one of the founders of Archizoom Associati, the group who played the lead in the Radical movement. In 1966 he took part in the fundamental exhibition Superarchitettura, together with Superstudio. During the years when the theoretical debate within the Radical movement was at its peak, his critical essays and his Radical Notes on «Casabella» were of fundamental importance. In 1972, he participated, with Archizoom, in Italy: The New Domestic Landscape at the MOMA, New York; in 1973, he was one of the founders of Global Tools. Around this period of time, he also began his activity as a designer (Dreambeds 1967, Superonda 1967, Safari sofa 1967, Mies armchair 1969/70, Aeo armchair 1973). The furniture he designed stood as the first example of an experimental research which still carries on today. In the 70’s he was an associate of CDM (Consulenti Design Milano), with whom he won the Compasso d’Oro in 1978, for his research on primary design. He published his studies on environmental design (Decorattivo 1 and 2) and on colour design (I colori dell’energia, -The Colours of Energy-, 1975; I colori prechimici, - Pre-chemical Colours -, 1976; I colori dell’ambiente,  - The Colours of the Environment -, 1977). He participated in Alchimia, and in 1981 he joined Memphis. He co-founded the Domus Academy of Milan, which he directed from 1983 to 1987, and of which he is the vice-president since 1988. From 1983 to 1987, he was the editor of the magazine «Modo». In 1986, he published the book Animali domestici: lo stile neo-primitivo (Household Pets: The Neo-Primitive Style), in which he illustrated a new research on the domestic environment. In 1991, he set up the exhibition Il Dolce Stil Novo della Casa, in Florence, to which he invited the foremost interior designers. In 1993, together with Ettore Sottsass and Michele de Lucchi, he was responsible for the research for the exhibition Citizen Office, for Vitra. His activity comprises design (for instance, Animali domestici, 1986, and the bookcase Gritti for Memphis, 1981), critical essays (La casa calda, - The Warm House -, 1982) and architecture (2nd prize in the competition ‘Manhattan Waterfront’, 1988). In 1996, he was also a curator for the Milan Triennale, and for the book Design Italiano 1964-1990 in 1996.