Within the walls of a historic building, a historic collection has opened its doors. Commissioned by Vittorio Bonacina as an immersive and experiential exhibition, the Museo Galleria Giardino is a multipurpose space that showcases both the heritage and future of the family-run creative company.
Located in Lurago d’Erba in the Como province, the building itself was designed in 1969 by Italian architect Lorenzo Forges Davanzati. The grand windows of the original architecture flood the interiors with natural light, while present-day renovations were carried out with sustainability in mind. Now housed within the historic space are the collections carrying Bonacina into the future, as well as historic pieces designed for the brand by bold-faced creatives dating to the late 19th century.
“With the Museum, we hope visitors can get in touch with the Bonacina world at 360 degrees,” says Antonia Bonacina, vice president of the company that bears her family name. “We needed to create a space that retraced all the milestones of the history of the brand, which is now almost 135 years old. The building itself gave us the perfect set-up to tell our story.”
The new Museum space, which fills 600 square meters, brings together more than a century of prototypes and original design from the Bonacina archives, plus case studies and research papers the company still references today when developing new designs. Included in the treasure trove of design history are prototypes for the company’s iconic Margherita and Gala armchairs, designed for Bonacina by Franco Albini in 1951, as well as never-seen works by Joe Colombo, Raffaella Crespi, Gianfranco Frattini, Ico Parisi, and Gio Ponti.
The continuity of the family-run creative enterprise can be experienced as visitors move through the Museum and into the Galleria, which occupies another 1,000 square meters and presents modern-day collections that bridge the past, present, and future of Bonacina. Continuing the practice of partnering with some of the brightest creative minds of the day, newer collections represent collaborations with Piero Lissoni, Mary Bloch, Marco Zanuso Jr., and Tomoko Mizu, to name just a few.
“Since the foundation in 1889, four generations of the Bonacina family have managed to innovate and grow the brand, by adding a personal vision without losing the value that kept the company relevant through the years,” Bonacina explains, noting many of the iconic pieces on display at Museum are still in production today. “We aim to give space to our Historical Archive and create continuity with the language and products of the present: from the pieces of 1920 to the Great Masters’ icons of the ‘50s and ‘60s. The fil rouge lies in the quality of the craftsmanship and the material.”
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