Joe Colombo and Kartell have been strictly linked to the future word for diverse motives, which concern themes of innovation and experimentation, and which push beyond, in that emotional dimension of the lived space, in the quality of color and light, finding themselves at ease on the path towards functionalist and aesthetic vision, always attentive to the new.

Through a series of visionary materials, precursors to the present and certainly suited to the future, the exhibition presents the projects of Colombo for Kartell in three small sections that play with the theme. The first section, "The future of reading," underlines the pioneering approach to the Universal Seating, which has traced the path for future generations of seating; the second, "The future of today," places at the center lighting projects and interior design, demonstrating how the imagined future has become part of our daily lives; the third, "The future of tomorrow," focused on the armchair as a curved element, recounts how certain objects of the past can be symbols of durability, maintaining intact their value and their functional load.

Moving through the exhibition, we can appreciate the value of the collaboration between Joe Colombo and Kartell, and we can understand how this has marked a fundamental chapter in the history of Italian design. Such collaboration is based on a continuous exchange of knowledge and experimentation, in which designers and companies have shared a vision on the use of materials and on the potentiality offered by the industry. The exhibition shows us the projects born from this collaboration, in a lack of years and in an unpredicted historical and productive context, continuing to remain current, not only for the formal and technological solutions adopted, but also for their capacity to suggest new directions to follow.

A special thanks goes to the architect Ignazia Favata, for the precious contribution in making the materials of the Historical Archive of Studio Joe Colombo available.

Kartell Museo presents "Memories from the future. The design of Joe Colombo for Kartell" Kartell Museo, April 7 - September 19, 2025
Curated by Elisa Stora
Project by Ferruccio Laviani
Special thanks for the loan of the works: Collezione Marco Romani, Design Museum Brussels, Studio Joe Colombo.