The Italian Cultural Institute in Tokyo celebrates architect Gae Aulenti (1927-2012), who designed the building in which the Institute is located, 10 years after her death. The exhibition “Gae Aulenti. A look at Japan and the world”, which opened in the exhibition hall of the Italian Cultural Institute and will remain open until 12 March, displays over 100 works including original drawings, photographs, models, architectural materials and explanatory panels, in an itinerary that aims to follow the traces left by Gae Aulenti throughout her career.
Gae Aulenti’s most famous projects worldwide are her interventions in the field of museum architecture, such as the design of the Centre Pompidou in Paris; the conversion of the Musée d’Orsay from railway station to museum, again in Paris; Palazzo Grassi in Venice; the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco. Aulenti designed the new chancellery building of the Italian Embassy and the Italian Cultural Institute in Tokyo inaugurated in 2004 and 2005, respectively. But his career ranged beyond architecture, with interior design and urban planning projects. In 1975, thanks to her collaboration with Luca Ronconi, Aulenti also entered the world of stage design.
