ONLINE PROGRAM

Carlo Scarpa and Modern Materiality

Jennie Hirsh, professor of modern and contemporary art at the Maryland Institute College of Art 

This lecture explores the work and influence of Carlo Scarpa, the Venetian-born, modern Italian architect whose designs reflect his deep understanding of and sensitivity to the topography of Venice. Despite never sitting for the exams for his professional architect's license, Scarpa left an indelible mark on the history of the modern built environment in Italy and beyond. Famous for his exploration of floating planes and incorporating water into his designs, especially in Venice, Scarpa inserted modernist ideas inflected with a Japanese sensibility into historic structures and neighborhoods throughout Italy. The many works we will consider include his renovation of the Aula Baratto at the Università di Venezia Ca' Foscari; the ticket booth, Venezuelan pavilion, and landscaped sculptural garden that he contributed to the Venice's Biennale Giardini; the floating levels and bespoke carpentry for the showroom that he designed for Olivetti typewriters in Venice's Piazza San Marco; and his unforgettable renovation to the structure and garden of the Fondazione Querini-Stampalia. We will consider his work as an exhibition designer, surveying his unforgettable displays for the Galleria dell'Accademia in Venice and the Galleria Regionale della Sicilia housed in the Palazzo Abatellis in Palermo. Finally, we will look at Scarpa's captivating and detail-oriented designs in wood, metal, and glass for furnishings and decorative art objects.

$15 fee for guests and subscribers (no fee for members)