Gae Aulenti

She was born in Palazzolo della Stella – Udine – in 1927. She graduated as an architect in 1953 from the Polytechnic University of Milan. She was a member of the editorial team at *Casabella-Continuità*, edited by Ernesto Rogersal, from 1955 to 1965. She began practising professionally in Milan in 1956, working in the fields of architectural design, interior design and industrial design, as well as in theatre set design.
In January 2005, she founded the firm Gae Aulenti Architetti Associati. Following the construction of the Musée d’Orsay in Paris (1980–86) and the refurbishment of the Musée National d’Art Moderne at the Centre Pompidou (1982–85), she oversaw the restoration of Palazzo Grassi in Venice (1985–86) followed by the organisation, within the same palace, of numerous temporary exhibitions, from “Futurismo & Futurismi” (1986) to “From Puvis de Chavannes to Matisse and Picasso: Towards Modern Art” (2002).
Her most recent projects include the following
: - the new entrance to Santa Maria Novella railway station in Florence (1990);
- the Italian Pavilion at EXPO ’92 in Seville; - the new Gallery for Temporary Exhibitions at the Milan Triennale (1994);
- the exhibition “The Italian Metamorphosis 1943–1968” at the Guggenheim Museum in New York (1994);
- the restoration of the Government Palace of the Republic of San Marino (1991–1996);
- “Spazio Oberdan” in Milan, the new headquarters of the Italian Cinematheque Foundation (1999);
- the restoration of the former papal stables at the Quirinal Palace in Rome, the new venue for temporary exhibitions, inaugurated during the exhibition “I Cento Capolavori dell’Ermitage. Impressionisti e Avanguardie” – the Hundred Masterpieces of the Hermitage. Impressionists and Avant-gardes – (1999);
- the redevelopment of Piazzale Cadorna in Milan (2000);
- the exhibition “1951–2001 Made in Italy? Memoria’ at the Milan Triennale (2001);
– the ‘Museo’ and ‘Dante’ metro stations and the redesign of Piazza Cavour and Piazza Dante in Naples (1999–2002).
- The new Asian Art Museum in San Francisco (commission secured following an international competition won in 1996 in partnership with the HOK/LDA/RWA joint venture from San Francisco) opened to the public in March 2003.
- The National Museum of Catalan Art in Barcelona was completed in December 2004 with the opening of the section dedicated to 20th-century art. Buildings inaugurated since 2005
: - the headquarters of the Italian Cultural Institute in Tokyo;
- the Palavela in Turin, venue for the figure skating and short-track competitions at the 2006 Winter Olympics;
- Piazza San Giovanni in Gubbio;
- In 2009, the Swank Showroom in Beijing and the Municipal Library in Paderno Dugnano.

Projects currently underway: - the construction of “Città degli Studi” in Biella, a university campus housing a branch of the Polytechnic University of Turin; - the architectural design of the new lakeside promenade near Lake Meina (Novara); - the extension of two municipal waste-to-energy plants in the provinces of Rimini and Forlì; - the extension project for Perugia Airport. Among the most recent projects: - the Library and Cultural Centre in Paderno Dugnano (MI); - the restoration of Palazzo Branciforte in Palermo; - the design for the new Aosta Airport; - the restoration and regeneration of Palazzo Vetus in Alessandria; - Piazza Mario Pagano in Potenza; - the extension project for the Civic Art Gallery in Monza.

Amongst recent exhibition projects: - “1950–2000: Theatre of Italian Creativity” (New York, October 2003); - “Giorgio De Chirico. Gladiatori 1927–1929’ (Villa Menafoglio Litta Panza in Biumo-Varese, October 2003); - the new exhibition layout at the Estense Castle in Ferrara, conceived as a narrative retracing the castle’s history, opened to the public in March 2004 with the two exhibitions “Una corte nel Rinascimento” and “Il Camerino di alabastro – Antonio Lombardo e la scultura all’antica”; - also in 2004, the exhibition “Arti & Architettura 1900–2000” at the Ducal Palace in Genoa. In 2007, the design of the Campania Region’s pavilion at the “Vinitaly” fair in Verona. “Giorgio Morandi, Collectors and Friends” (Villa Menafoglio Litta Panza in Biumo-Varese, September 2008). Awards: - “Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur” (Paris, 1987); - Honorary Member of the American Institute of Architects – Hon. FAIA (1990); - Praemium Imperiale for Architecture, awarded by the Japan Art Association (Tokyo, 1991); - “Cavaliere di Gran Croce” for services to the Italian Republic (Rome, 1995); - honorary degree awarded by the Rhode Island School of Design (Providence, USA, 2001).

She has been invited to serve as a jury member for international design competitions for the “New National Museum of Korea, Seoul”; “TAV – New High-Speed Rail Station, Florence”; and “The Grand Egyptian Museum, Giza-Cairo”.