Dezeen Magazine

Gabriella Crespi Dimore Gallery Visioni

Dimore Gallery presents metallic Gabriella Crespi furniture amongst sand dunes

Produced for Milan's Dimore Gallery, seven pieces of furniture by the late artist Gabriella Crespi are installed them among piles of sand for an exhibition called Visioni.

The furniture is displayed across a number of rooms in what used to be the home of the Dimore Gallery's founders Emiliano Salci and Britt Moran, and is now a dedicated exhibition space.

The seven reissued pieces were originally designed by Crespi in the 1970s and include a mushroom-shaped lamp, a geometric wall sconce and a number of tables, made from brass, bronze and lacquer.

Gabriella Crespi Dimore Gallery Visioni

Born in 1922, Crespi was an influential Italian designer working across furniture, jewellery and sculpture who died in 2017. Fans of her designs, Salci and Moran approached Crespi's daughter Elisabetta with the idea of reproducing some of works.

"We've always been big admirers of Crespi's work and we've collected a few of her things. It's so beautiful, it's very chic and understated but also very timeless and glamorous," said Moran to Dezeen. "It's the complete opposite end of the spectrum to our other collections."

There are currently seven pieces in production, but the gallery plans to expand the collection in the future.

Gabriella Crespi Dimore Gallery Visioni

Currently the collection includes the brass Tavolo Scultura rectangular, oval and small oval tables, and the mushroom-like Fungo lamp in plexiglass and brass that comes in various different sizes.

Alongside these are the Cubo Tondo low table made from steel and ivory-coloured lacquer, a bronze and black lacquer Eclipse table and the Scudo sconce.

On display at the gallery throughout Milan design week, the furniture is set against bright fuchsia carpet in the suite of interconnected rooms, the walls of which are painted a deep brick red and inset with panels of reflective brass.

The gallery has laid banks of sand on the carpet in each space as a backdrop to the collection and installed the furniture and lighting amongst these sand dunes.

Gabriella Crespi Dimore Gallery Visioni

As well as the pieces reissued for Dimore Gallery, the exhibition includes original items from the Crespi archive, such as bowls and table lamps made from bamboo and brass.

"Bamboo plays a key role in her creations, not only for its strength, malleability and warmth, but also for the way it enables the passage of light," explained the gallery.

Further original items by Crespi on show include an armchair and ottoman, a series of chandeliers, and brass cutlery and figurines.

"Crespi transformed furnishings into museum-like objects characterised by precise forms and gracious contours," said the gallery. "Defined by their exceptional versatility, these stunning pieces are capable of changing the perception of the space around them."

Other pieces of reissued furniture on display at Milan design week include a Bond villain chair designed by Verner Panton and reproduced by Danish brand Montana, and the Grasshopper, a chair designed more than 80 years ago by Danish designer Finn Juhl. Both chairs can be seen at the Salone del Mobile furniture fair until 14 April.