a look at Achillea Castiglioni’s historic studio in Milan
Inside his former studio Achille Castiglionibordering Sempione Park, MilanIn its central park, there are gadgets and gizmos, sunglasses and a curling stone. Looking at the late Italian designer’s treasure trove of trinkets culled from the architect, it’s easy to wonder if games ever entered his work chairsshelves and teapots. ‘No!’ comments Marco Marzini, co-curator of ‘Achille and Bruno, Free to Play,’ Fondazione Achille Castiglioni 2026–2027 exhibition on the works of Castiglioni and Bruno Munari. “But he collected and maintained countless toys both in his studio and at home, for personal amusement and design inspiration, but also to play with his children and friends.”
inside Achille Castiglioni’s former studio in Milan | all photos by the author unless otherwise noted
Games, games and fun with Bruno Munari and Achille Castiglioni
This year, in dialogue with the works of his contemporary Bruno Munari, the exhibition reframes Castiglioni’s trinkets and daddies to reveal the joy he found in everyday objects. While Castiglioni did not design any toys or playable games in his lifetime, Munari’s work is filled with educational puzzles, books and games. “Toys represented a tangible educational tool: a way to help children grow and develop as free, creative and independent individuals.” Says Marzini of the contrast between the two men, “Bruno made kids feel big and adults feel kids.” By placing these two collections together, the exhibition reveals just how serious Castiglioni’s fun was.
in dialogue with the works of Bruno Munari, the exhibition reveals the joy Castiglioni finds in everyday objects
The hidden treasures inside the achille castiglioni foundation
Entering the Foundation, which is located just outside a historic courtyard characterized by the iconic design of Milanese palazzos, the exhibition space feels very much like a studio. In fact, it does not have the white walls of a gallery or museum. Instead, there are shelves of magazines. There are old ones showcaseswith their glass turning yellow and, looking inside, one discovers not fine china or precious silverware, but piles of fancy googly eyes and paper 3D movie glasses. It is a moving place and a cabinet of curiosities – it seems that the designer, although he left us more than two decades ago, is still at work.
there are old vets, their glass turns yellow and, looking inside, one discovers piles of crap
the marzini and castiglioni foundation embraces the archive
Capitalizing on the chaos of the space, Marzini and the Foundation embrace the madness, placing the viewer inside a fun house of design. Hanging from the ceiling is a poster of Munari’s iconic Domus, October 1944, in which he is depicted sitting, rumpled and perched on an easy chair, playfully seeking solace in all the wrong (or possibly right!) ways. As a way to activate the exhibition, a heavily upholstered armchair, flipped on its back and facing a mirror, invites visitors to explore everyday objects in Munari’s once charming, ridiculous way — while snapping a selfie.
hanging from the ceiling is Munari’s Domus cover, October 1944, showing him in an armchair with rounded panels
playing with Original Xerographies and Direct Projections
The encouragement to play doesn’t stop there. One of the back rooms of Castiglioni’s studio is dimly shaded and, descending from a system of manual pulleys, is a screen that catches the light of a projector. Here, a workshop comes to life that tests visitors’ creativity. Three Rocket Ferrania projectors, designed in 1960 by Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni, were created to replicate Bruno Munari’s Direct Projections (Proiezioni Dirette), where layers of colored film, pieces of paper, pieces of wire and other unassuming materials can be placed in front of a work of art and arranged. In addition, a massive photocopier is available for visitors to discover Munari’s Xerografie originali, his ongoing experiments in creating images using the scanning bed of a photocopier.
a projector and photocopier have been set up for visitors to engage with Munari’s Xerografie originali and Proiezioni Dirette | photo by Marco Marzini
Glasses to see from a new perspective
In another alcove, a flat backlit glass case holds the odd array of Castiglioni glasses he collected in his lifetime. Above are images of the designer himself, bespectacled and smiling, showing off his impressive collection of silly glasses. Suspended from a mobile-like arrangement are prints, each holding a face illustrated in black lines — pieces from the series of drawn portraits Munari created during his lifetime. As Marzini aptly puts it, “The human face, as a container of expression, consists of elements that can be altered, layered and transformed through the endless play of the mask.” Here, the mask is not just the collection of face coverings assembled by Castiglioni, but the mask as a philosophical concept—the ways in which we cover, obstruct, and decorate our faces to become someone else.
