Italo Rota, a famous architect who, among other things, designed the Museo del Novecento in Piazza Duomo in Milan, has died at the age of 70. The confirmation of his death, which occurred today in Milan, comes from the president of the Triennale, and colleague, Stefano Boeri.
“With Italo Rota today we lose an absolute protagonist of Italian architecture and culture. We will miss his powerful and barely whispered ideas, his counter-current visions, his very rich and always intelligent compositions. A piece of our history, of the history of our generation, of the history of the Triennale and of Italian creativity in the world is passing away”, Boeri wrote in a post.
“The passing of Italo Rota deprives us of one of the world’s greatest architects, one of the freest and most brilliant spirits of Milan. When no one believed in Expo, he was close to me with his ideas and energy. His work will continue to increase the fascination of Milan in the world”. Thus the mayor of Milan Beppe Sala, former sole commissioner of Expo 2015, comments on the passing of Italo Rota.
“As you yourself said, ‘wisdom is being serious and having a crazy plan’. Thank you Italo, for everything you have given to Milan and the world.” Thus the culture councilor of the Municipality of Milan, Tommaso Sacchi, who also recalls his “contribution in passion, competence, light and colour. Milan will jealously guard ‘your’ Museum of the Twentieth Century and your legacy as a free and courageous, always one step ahead.”
“With the passing of Italo Rota we lose a master of Italian architecture and design”, declared Gennaro Sangiuliano, Minister of Culture: “From theater sets to the creations of museums and public spaces such as the Museo del Novecento, Rota was able to combine beauty and functionality, giving life to innovative works of great emotional impact, with particular attention to the valorisation of cultural heritage and the creation of spaces for meeting and dialogue”.
Who was Italo Rota
One of the most interesting and multifaceted figures on the Italian architectural scene, Italo Rota graduated in 1982 from the Polytechnic of Milan, training first in the studio of Franco Albini and later in that of Vittorio Gregotti. At the end of the eighties, he moved to Paris, where he designed the renovation of the Museum of Modern Art at the Center Pompidou with Gae Aulenti, the new rooms of the French school at the Cour Carré of the Louvre, the lighting of the Notre Dame cathedral and along the Seine and the renovation of the center of Nantes.
He returned to Italy in the mid-1990s and the activity of his new Milanese studio began to range from masterplans to product design, in projects characterized by the choice of innovative materials, cutting-edge technologies and in-depth research on light. Standing out in his production are the promenade of the Foro Italico in Palermo (Gold Medal for Italian Architecture for Public Spaces 2006) and the Museo del Novecento in the Palazzo dell’Arengario in Piazza Duomo in Milan (2010).
In addition to France, there are numerous works created internationally, such as the Casa Italiana at Columbia University, New York (1997); the Hindu Temple in Mumbai (2009); the Chameleon Club at Byblos Hotel, Dubai (2011).
