Book Description

Over centuries, the transnational Alpine region Tyrol-South Tyrol-Trentino (Alto Adige) has developed along ancient trade routes between Germany and Austria on one and northern Italy on the other side of the Alps. Similar to the region's modern and contemporary architecture, its product design is in many cases rooted in a rich local tradition of craftsmanship. Yet since the 1920s, this multilingual region has also proven its remarkable openness to European modernism's most progressive movements and become an unexpected laboratory for technical and formal exploration in the middle of the continent. 'Design from the Alps', published to coincide with an exhibition at museum Kunst Meran in autumn 2019, tells the story of a century of product design from Tyrol-South Tyrol-Trentino, highlighting the vast variety of discoveries and innovations that have emerged there. Featured artists include, among others, Fortunato Depero (1892-1960), whose experiments were inspired by the Secondo Futurismo, Gino Pollini (1903-91), a pioneer of the interwar period, as well as the celebrated architects and designers Lois Welzenbacher (1889-1955), Clemens Holzmeister (1886-1983), and Ettore Sottsas (1917-2007). Lavishly illustrated, the book follows the many protagonists of this at the same time heterogenous and collectively strong scene and offers an insightful tour d'horizon of the manifaceted design culture of western Austria and northern Italy. Exhibition: Museum Kunst Meran/Merano Arte, Italy (11.10.2019-12.01.2020).