Anna Bronovitskaya’s cycle resumes with a lecture about Italian architect Carlo Scarpa, famous for his deeply idiosyncratic style influenced by the architect’s native town, Venice.
The Olivetti Showroom, Fondazione Querini Spampalia and other Carlo Scarpa’s works located in Venice have become an integral part of the fabric of this historical city. In the words of Louis Kahn, “In the work of Carlo Scarpa ‘Beauty’ is the first sense. ‘Art’ the first word. Then ‘Wonder’. Then the inner realization of ‘Form’, the sense of the wholeness of inseparable elements. Design consults nature to give presence to the elements”. Having developed sensitivity towards the tiniest nuances of light and structure, Scarpa learnt to grasp and convey specific qualities of the site he worked with, including its natural and built environment. It is no coincidence then that his conversions into art museums of the Castelvecchio castle in Verona and Palazzo Abatellis in Palermo are still known as essential examples of delicate and creative handling of historical heritage, while also becoming top class masterpieces of exhibition venue design.
