Alessandro Mendini (Milano, 1931 – Milano, 2019)
Giuliano Gori’s sons, Fabio and Paolo Gori, long-time admirers of Alessandro Mendini’s work, had been encouraging their father to invite him to hold a temporary exhibition at Celle. In 2011, when Giuliano Gori and Alessandro Mendini met for the first time during a visit to the Collection, a mutual respect and fondness developed, which unfolded through long conversations about art and design. From this enjoyable exchange, the portraits Proust Armchairs – Sandro and Giuliano were created, which were chosen as the image for the exhibition displayed at Casapeppe from 2012 to 2013.
The two friends also discussed nature, and Giuliano recounted his Bosco dell’Amicizia (Forest of Friendship) – where each of Giuliano’s friends born, like him, in 1930 has selected, at his invitation, a tree to represent each friend inside this “landscape of affection” . Upon hearing this Mendini decided that he must be part of this special garden, even though his birth date is 1931. So, he conceived a special tree for Celle, which would be “mechanical” as it was composed of stainless steel sheets and wasn’t organically integrated into the Bosco dell’Amicizia. At the base of the sculpture-tree, there appears Alessandro’s dedication which reads: “Forgive me, Giuliano, for not being born in ’30”.
