Gae Aulenti

Gae Aulenti, a pseudonym for Gaetana Emilia Aulenti, was an Italian designer and architect, considered one of the best architects of her generation. Born in Palazzolo dello Stella, in the province of Udine, in 1927, she graduated in architecture from the Polythecnic University of Milan in 1953. She was assistant to Giuseppe Samonà and later to Ernesto Nathan Rogers, in whose studio she got to know Renzo Piano. In the 1960s she collaborated with Olivetti and got to know Gianni Agnelli, her close friend for whom she carried out a variety of projects. Her architecture has always been closely linked with her surroundings, and this led her to win several awards, including the prestigious Imperial Prize given to her by the Japan Art Association in Tokyo. In 1979 she was entrusted with the artistic direction of Fontana Arte, with which she had collaborated in the past. In 1984 she was appointed correspondent of the National Academy of San Luca in Rome, while from 1995 to 1996 she was president of the Brera Academy of Fine Arts. In 2005 she formed Gae Aulenti Architetti Associati with Marco Buffoni, Francesca Fenaroli and Vittoria Massa. She passed away in Milan in 2012 at the age of 84.