Neo-Baroque, Neo-Freedom, and a Multifaceted Craft
The creator described his own work as neo-baroque or neo-freedom, drawing influence from architectural forms by Alvar Aalto and Erich Mendelsohn. He consistently moved away from strict rationalism, and his interests spanned far beyond architecture into furniture design, aviation, skiing, interior design, race cars, and photography.
The versatile architect Carlo Mollino was born in Turin on May 6, 1905, and he died in the same city on August 27, 1973. The son of Eugenio Mollino, a renowned engineer and Renaissance-minded intellect, Mollino recognized photography as a powerful document of his work. He established a home laboratory that became a cherished tool for expression, allowing him to explore architecture, art, and documentary photography. He never limited himself to one discipline, often retouching photographs and creating photomontages using his own imagery. Mollino remains a surprisingly underappreciated figure in modern architecture, sometimes viewed through a lens of mystery and pinched by rumors about unconventional passions that some have deemed transgressive.
Charlotte and Da Vinci
With a distinctive look, a small mustache reminiscent of Charlie Chaplin’s Charlot and a shy, reserved demeanor, Mollino concealed a brilliant mind once compared to Leonardo da Vinci. His public persona gave way to prolific creative energy across multiple spheres. He began his architectural career in 1930 with a house in Forte dei Marmi, Italy, earning the prestigious Pistono Award, which helped cement his growing reputation. In the 1960s, he led a team of architects responsible for two Turin landmarks—the Chamber of Commerce and the Teatro Regio—projects that solidified his fame.
In June 2005, the oak and glass Reale table Mollino designed for the Orengo house in 1949 sold at Christie’s in New York for 3,824,000, underscoring the lasting value of his design language.
Surreal Alien
As a complex and multifaceted figure in 20th-century Italian art, Mollino stood apart from movements and groups, embodying a Renaissance-inspired spirit. Influenced by Surrealism in the 1930s, he integrated Greco-Roman capitals and small busts into his work, blending classical references with modern sensibilities. A globally aware traveler, he drew from Scandinavian forms in the 1940s, creating undulating, soft shapes that retained his personal aesthetic. Photography played a central role throughout his career; Mollino treated it as a forward-looking medium with vast potential, often creating photomontages and exploring theory and practice alike. In 1949 he published a book on the history and critique of photography, illustrating his deep engagement with the photographic image in both theory and practice.
Modernity and Tradition
Mollino pursued a wholly personal style built on curved lines and a refreshed approach to traditional craftsmanship. His furniture designs stand out at a glance, often unique and tailored to the owner, combining aesthetic finesse with ergonomic precision. A personal crisis—the death of his father—drove him into a quiet period away from his creative work lasting more than five years. Across many disciplines, Mollino explored the intimate connections between love, life, and craft. From the 1930s until his death, he resided in Turin, using interiors he crafted for Casa Miller and Villa Zaira as stages for his projects. Silhouettes and organic curves, inspired by Man Ray and Art Nouveau, carried a sensuous elegance that spoke to his era’s tastes.
In his late years, Mollino’s approach to space and form remained provocative, blending architectural rigor with a seductive, enigmatic charm that defined his personal brand of design and photography.
Polaroid
During the 1960s, Mollino frequented Turin’s nightclubs to engage with dancers who later visited his studio for photo sessions. He posed them in carefully chosen outfits and accessories, capturing luminous, kinetic imagery. He perfected subtle retouching with fine brushes and polaroid experiments, aiming to reveal the ideal feminine form through his lens. A vast cache of over a thousand photographs was discovered after his death, subsequently showcased in a comprehensive volume by a major publishing house, revealing a delicate, provocative sensibility and a remarkable curiosity about the human form.
Bisilite
As a racing enthusiast, Mollino co-designed the Nardi 750 Bisiluro, a car that competed in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1955. Known as the Double Torpedo for its dramatic silhouette and bright red finish, the vehicle combined a BMW engine with a design aimed at high efficiency and speed. Commissioned by engineer Enrico Nardi, the Bisiluro sought a stature on par with brands like Ferrari or Jaguar. After extensive restoration, the car remains a landmark of the 1950s Italian design scene and is displayed at the Leonardo da Vinci National Museum of Science and Technology in Milan.
Bolidism
Often described as the last artistic movement of the 20th century, Mollino’s work remained a touchstone for Bolidism—an Italian design philosophy established in Bologna in 1986 by twenty young architects. Its core ideas emphasize communication, style, and movement, linked to lightness, speed, and multiplicity—concepts Mollino explored across his career. The Bolidista manifesto extols living with purpose, treating history as an intense, ongoing adventure rather than a fixed guide. The movement drew on futuristic influences and organic forms, positioning Mollino’s legacy as a bridge between classical craft and modern propulsion. The philosophy holds that the future is as significant as the past, and that creation should be active and autonomous, not merely observed.
In Absolute Secrecy
Mollino remains a towering figure in architecture and modern art, with works that balance representational language and abstract forms while preserving practicality and comfort in his furniture designs. Today, his furniture resides in permanent collections at MoMA in New York and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. His independent approach and eclectic nature defied easy categorization, earning him a reputation for secrecy and grand, esoteric flair. Turin, his home city, became synonymous with a magnetic allure for artists and dreamers alike. Mollino’s late-life projects culminated in an extraordinary residential commission, a personal ‘afterlife’ project designed as a house of ritual and memory, crafted in devoted secrecy. It is a residence imagined for what lies beyond now, furnished with elements meant to evoke ethereal dialogue with the past. His relentless curiosity and restless energy define his lasting impact on design, architecture, and visual culture. He passed away unexpectedly, leaving behind a vast, unfinished canvas that continues to inspire. A deeper exploration of Mollino’s life and work can be found in curated collections and essays that examine his extraordinary, multi-disciplinary approach.
Further reading can be found in archival features from Hunter Art Magazine, which provides historical context and critical perspectives on Mollino’s diverse body of work.