Carlo Mollino: Arabesques

by Lisa Ponti, Napoleone Ferrari (Editor)

Arabesques is a celebration of the life and achievements of Carlo Mollino (1905-1973)--architect, designer, author and photographer, and one of Italy's most extraordinary cultural innovators. In a 100 color and 80 black and white illustrations, and with commentary by an array of contemporary Mollino scholars, it examines his famously elegant furniture designs, a selection of his most iconic buildings, his wonderfully futuristic aeroplane and automobile designs and a portfolio of his photographic portraits of women. It reveals a man almost impossible to grasp in his entirety, with a ravenous intellect and a temperament both friendly and proud, whose work requires the attentions of several scholars--among them Lisa Ponti, Carmen Guererro and Fulvio Ferrari--to assess here. Yet Mollino's approach was itself often synthetic; his interiors (which were almost always commissioned) integrated his furniture, interior design and architecture towards a unified aesthetic environment, expressing a coherent aesthetic of elegance and energetic sinuousness. Arabesques makes sense of this rare instance of a true Renaissance man, and will sweep the reader up in Mollino's infectious energy and polymorphous genius.

288 pages, Paperback

First published December 20, 2006

Reviews

[Jose · Rating 5 out of 5]

What first got me into Mollino was the cover of this book and the car that is the DaMolNar Bisliuro which is similar to Taruffi's Racer, this book which covers his involvement in racing at Le Mans 1955 as well his architecture,art and photography. Not much of a biography just some good critique and other unneeded psychoanalysis or talk of bourgeoisie etc.by others on him as well as some good photography. Including some reproduced from University of Miami School of Architecture. Highly recommend book, nice softcover almost flexibound with dust jacket. I did not care for the mention of masonry or the occult by one of the writers or the fact he owned a then sovietczechmade plane and competiting there too, the book has Great design and is informative.

[Tosh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Carlo Mollino - a man I know nothing about till this book. Italian Architect, sportsman, interior designer, dandy, product designer, sports car driver, and a lover of erotica. In essence a man I want to be. This is an amazing catalogue of his work and for additional bonus a collection of photographs he shot of various beauties doing things that make me happy. I love this book.