casa mollino


The “House on the Hill,” as the Turinese call it, was the Carlo Mollino residence in which he kept all his most intimate treasures. The house is filled with objects both symbolic (the bed in the form of a boat on a floor of blue) and expressive (skins of a zebra and a leopard; velvet curtains; small, glittering mirrors; Japanese sliding doors). According to Fulvio Ferrari, who has organized the home as a museum, Mollino conceived of the mansion as a coffin, putting into it all that he most highly regarded.

The completed Teatro Regio, 1973. Photo: courtesy of Oscar Humphries.

The completed Teatro Regio
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his freedom of expression is overpowering.
—martino gamper, italian designer

Doors in Teatro Regio Turin

Teatro Regio Turin. Contributor: SIMON171 / Stockimo / Alamy Stock Photo.

polaroids



After the artist’s death, some 1,200 Polaroid photos were found in the residence. They are images of naked dancers, prostitutes and society women. Almost all of the photos were taken by Mollino in the Casa Mollino. The choice of a Polaroid was also no accident; in love with speed, Mollino wanted to see what he had captured on film then and there. An exhibit of some of the photos was mounted by Ferrari in 1985. They may well constitute the largest and most brilliant aspect of Carlo Mollino’s legacy.

Untitled by Carlo Mollino

“Untitled”, Carlo Mollino. 1962–1973. Polaroid print. 10.8 × 9.2 cm. © Philips.

The Dying Slave by Michelangelo and a shell

“The Dying Slave” by Michelangelo and a shell. Photo by Carlo Mollino / Alinari Archives, Florence / Alinari via Getty Images.

Untitled by Carlo Mollino

“Untitled” 1936. Photo by Carlo Mollino / Alinari Archives, Florence / Alinari via Getty Images.

Lina, Casa Miller by Carlo Mollino

“Lina, Casa Miller“. Photo by Carlo Mollino. 1937. © Phillips.

Song, female portrait. Photo by Carlo Mollino

“Song”, female portrait. Photo by Carlo Mollino / Alinari Archives, Florence / Alinari via Getty Images.

Untitled, 1963. Photo by Carlo Mollino

“Untitled”, 1963. Photo by Carlo Mollino / Alinari Archives, Florence / Alinari via Getty Images.

Exhumation of a Korai, Photo by Carlo Mollino

“Exhumation of a Korai“, Photo by Carlo Mollino / Alinari Archives, Florence / Alinari via Getty Images.

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stories. carlo mollino