Masterly – The Dutch in Milano, the event dedicated to Dutch design and fine craftsmanship, returns to Palazzo Francesco Turati this April for the fourth year running. The almost miraculous calm that reigns in this building, located in the beating heart of the city, contributes to the suspended atmosphere visitors to the event find so captivating.
Masterly.
The proportions and decorations of the late nineteenth-century palazzo are unquestionably some of the main features of Masterly and play a key role in harmonizing the content selected by the event’s curator and promoter, Nicole Uniquole.
By Bibi Smit
The event has the support of the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the Consulate General in Milan, which have recognised from the outset that this initiative by Uniquole represents an opportunity to promote Dutch design in such an important international setting as Milan Design Week.
Design Point of View
Masterly looks at design from a wide-ranging perspective, one that includes highly innovative projects embracing the social, environmental and technological challenges of our time and also projects that make reference to or draw on the country’s tradition in art, culture and crafts. These two driving forces of tradition and innovation are inextricably entwined and the story of both must be told to offer an exhaustive overview of contemporary Dutch production, year after year.
Participants
The participants’ designs at Masterly 2019 draw inspiration, each in their own way, from the work of the great master, who was one of the leading artists of the Dutch Golden Age.
By Carina Wagenaar
Artist Roos Kalff, designer Melissa Peen and the company Forbo Flooring Systems have drawn inspiration for their palette from the colors of Rembrandt’s canvases, while Bibi Smit, as well as being inspired by the artist for the colors of her blown glass pieces, will use a reproduction of the famous painting “The night watch” as the backdrop for her installation. Interior architect Karel Bodegom, struck by Rembrandt’s ability to turn sensations like light and warmth into a tangible presence in his paintings, has developed an innovative ultrathin heating element in conjunction with three companies: Van Ruysdael, Dekton® by Cosentino and Heatfun by De Pillen Group.
Other participants, including the students of the HMC Vocational College and companies like FritsJurgens and Royal Mosa, have found a common denominator running through both their own work and the artist’s paintings in the maniacal attention to detail and perfectionism with which they develop their products.
Palazzo Francesco Turati, Via Meravigli 7, Milano
9-14 april 2019