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Palazzo Maffei, an eclectic journey through masterpieces and curiosities

Baldessari e Baldessari

Culture  /  Completed
Baldessari e Baldessari

Palazzo Maffei - House Museum - Verona - Piazza Erbe - The “story” unfolds in 2 acts “ACT ONE” 2020 Palazzo Maffei – House Museum – is a restoration project that is as unique as it is complicated, combining – in a multi-layered whole – architecture, interior design and exhibition design. Focusing on design, architecture and restoration, the project involves the main façade of the building on Piazza Erbe, the no less important secondary façades on the courtyards, the eclectically-styled elliptical vestibule staircase leading to the house museum, the interesting and refined wall paintings and relief decorations in the rooms destined to house the collection, the strengthening of the vaulted ceilings and wooden floors, the complete replacement of the electrical, mechanical, service and surveillance systems, which have been upgraded to the internationally accepted standards for museum and exhibition spaces, on the basis of appropriate and unobtrusive solutions, and the design of the new metal profile entrance doors with burnished brass finish. The interior design side of the project features the reopening of the original passages between the rooms, the aim of which is to form a seamless loop. The project has also involved the replacement of the incongruous non-original floors with Venetian-style terrazzo paving and oak, the application of plaster, metal and fabric wall coverings, as well as the juxtaposition of the wall colours and hues in the various rooms, the re-designing of the general lighting plan, to enhance the external and internal pathways, as well as the specific lighting for the works, and, last but not least, the design of the furniture, furnishings and accessories, and the supports where the exhibits are displayed. The interior design project features the full integration of details and architecture, so that the whole space and the individual rooms along the circular route highlight Gabriella Belli's curatorial project, a “score” consisting of unusual, surprising and refined combinations and which turns the spotlight onto an extraordinary collection made up of ancient, modern, contemporary and even site-specific works, all of which are true masterpieces. The exhibition itinerary takes into account the house museum setting, in which the paintings, sculptures, furniture, ceramics, ancient and modern jewellery tell us the story of this Palazzo, of the extraordinary passion of the Collector and of the instinct that guided him in putting the Collection together. A broad-ranging journey through time and artistic styles, ranging from the end of the 14th century to the present day, displayed on the walls and in custom-designed showcases. In terms of the arrangement, the route is characterised by a succession of vibrant shades on the walls, an intense powder blue in the entrance hall, deep red in the first rooms, a warm-hued blue for the sitting room, with its elegant gold patterned fabric. This is followed by an eclectic room in chalk-white tones, with relief rocaille-style decorations on the walls, restored to their former beauty, which houses ceramics of extraordinary workmanship and precedes a small Wunderkammer, where a group of polychrome wooden sculptures are displayed. This first succession of rooms leads to the other wing, destined to house the 20th century art collection consisting of masterpieces by the members of the Futurism movement, Boccioni, Balla, Severini, placed in dialogue with the metaphysical paintings of De Chirico, the magic realism of Morandi, and – in a growing crescendo of sensations – works by Duchamp, Magritte, Picasso, Vedova, Fontana, Burri, De Dominicis, displayed against white walls with inevitable black inserts. “ACT TWO” 2021 An “addition", or, perhaps better, a brand-new page in the story of the Palazzo Maffei House Museum and its collection, welcomes the public on the floor above the one inaugurated in 2020, where visitors can further admire, investigate and enjoy new extraordinary works of painting and sculpture, period furniture and jewellery, which Luigi Carlon continues to collect with enormous passion, determination and sensitivity, and which are then arranged, according to her usual curatorial mastery, by Gabriella Belli. Nine rooms beautifully restored to a new life, based on new interpretations and refined combinations, the result of invitations to contemporary artists to create site-specific works and project rooms, within the framework of the broader cultural plan and the architecture and décor of the venue. Act two also features a demanding, perhaps even more complex, exhibition arrangement design, part and parcel of the overall restoration, architecture, interior and furniture design project. An effective example of "integrated exhibit", which merges with the architectural structure of the Palazzo serving as a backdrop, within the new set design, and presents a colour palette of bold hues on the walls of the various flow through rooms of the museum itinerary. The finishings are made using different materials, the walls decorated with lime-based plaster mixed with cocciopesto, alternating with smoother surfaces and stretched fabric wall coverings and juxtaposed with the original Venetian terrazzo floors and with the paintings on the walls and ceiling, all restored to their original beauty. The restoration project integrates state-of-the-art technology for museum and exhibition venues, artfully concealed, to meet the internationally accepted standards. This floor also houses a large room for holding conferences and meetings, which offers magnificent views across Piazza Erbe, Corso Sant'Anastasia and Portone Borsari, the ancient decumanus of the city. Baldessari e Baldessari Michela and Paolo Baldessari

Credits

 Verona
 Italia
 Palazzo Maffei - Fondazione Carlon
 10/2021
 2500 mq
 Baldessari e Baldessari
 Michela Baldessari - Paolo Baldessari - Alessandro Chiusole - Nicolò Pieroni
 Impresa Bellè
 Ing. G. Mosconi - Ing. R. Coser - Ing. G. Marconi - P. Ind. Turazza
 Fiemme tremila - Erco Illuminazione - Laboratorio Morseletto - Hd resine - Eurogroup SPA - Daikin - Tisato Massimo - Tomellini - Forcellinii
 P. Riolzi - M.Rotondo

Curriculum

Baldessari e Baldessari
architetti e designers

Baldessari e Baldessari is an architecture and design firm founded by Giulio, Paolo and Michela Baldessari active in the field of architecture, industrial design and interior architecture. The firm curates exhibitions in Italy and abroad and works on public and private projects in the residential, directional, and industrial sectors, on restorations of historic and period buildings and interior design projects, and also collaborates with major companies in the design sector. In 2020 the firm received an honorable mention at the XXVI Compasso d’Oro.

http://www.baldessariebaldessa...


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