a golden boy

Carlo’s father, a famous architect, left his son sufficient means to live comfortably through a long life. This was a major factor in the formation of the Mollino style, for he did not have to go along with his clients’ wishes and did not have to compromise. He did what he thought correct while seeking the fullest expression of his own imagination.

Carlo Mollino in front of a massive wooden house in Turin
Created with Sketch.

only when a work is not explicable other than in terms of itself can we say that we are in the presence of art. this ineffable quality is the hallmark of an authentic work. —carlo mollino






Staircase Carlo Mollino. A spiral staircase

Staircase Carlo Mollino. Photo: VFarassino / Stockimo / Alamy Stock Photo.

disappearing

architecture

 

An architect by training, Mollino designed a vast number of projects but only 10 or so were ever built. Only his residence in Turin, in which he never lived for very long, survives. All his other buildings have been redone or razed.

Chamber of Commerce of Turin by Carlo Mollino. Photo: Fotodom.

Chamber of Commerce of Turin by Carlo Mollino
A ceiling of Chamber of Commerce of Turin

Chamber of Commerce of Turin by Carlo Mollino. Photo: Fotodom.

Teatro Regio designed by Carlo Mollino

Teatro Regio designed by Carlo Mollino. Photo: Claudiodivizia / Fotodom.

Chamber of Commerce of Turin

Chamber of Commerce of Turin by Carlo Mollino. Photo: Fotodom.

he was an artist with a capital a, with a limitless ability to express himself.
—fulvio ferrari, author of several books about mollino

Pair of armchairs, designed for the Acotto House, Turin
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