“Honoring the past means preserving a legacy and transforming it into vision.” From this reflection comes Tales in Glass, an exhibition project that is much more than that: a celebration of a seventy-year history, the enhancement of a unique craftsmanship, and the affirmation of a broader and deeper vision, one that draws from the past to engage with the present. Gallotti&Radice brings its heritage into the historic Palazzo Meli Lupi di Soragna with an exhibition that showcases its artisanal expertise and its ongoing exploration of glass as a living material.
At the heart of the installation is a series of new, previously unseen pieces created by six international designers, Valentina Cameranesi Sgroi, Ivania Carpio, Estudio Persona, Rania Hamed, Fumie Shibata, and Miminat Shodeinde, invited to engage with the company’s heritage and reinterpret it through diverse cultural and design perspectives. French architect Sophie Dries was instead tasked with shaping a universal and collective narrative through an installation that brings together past, present, and future.
Alongside these new creations, iconic pieces from the brand are reimagined through refined details, such as the Bolle lamp collection by Massimo Castagna, featuring mouth-blown glass colored through a highly technological sublimation process; the Haumea coffee table, also by Castagna, presented for the occasion in a special Anniversary Edition finish; and the use of aluminum, copper, and gold leaf, as seen in the Admira sideboard by Silvia Gallotti. Also noteworthy is the Half-Pipe seat, the result of a new collaboration with Meda and Quincoces, demonstrating glass’s ability to be infinitely recycled and given a second life in new forms.
Gallotti&Radice was among the first companies in Italy to promote glass as a primary material in furniture design. Founded in 1956 by Pierangelo Gallotti and Luigi Radice as an artistic workshop dedicated to glass decoration, the company later stood out in production for its use of the metal joint, which evolved from a technical solution into a defining stylistic feature. A major design breakthrough came in the 1970s through collaboration with architect Luigi Massoni, who combined architectural rigor with the lightness of glass, designing Adam, Gallotti&Radice’s first table made entirely of glass. From then to the present day, the company has continuously explored this material and its many creative and functional expressions, pairing it with other materials while maintaining the consistent style and distinctive elegance that define Gallotti&Radice.
On the occasion of Milano Design Week, Gallotti&Radice celebrates its 70th anniversary with Tales in Glass, an exhibition that tells the story of the brand’s heritage, its artisanal excellence, and its ongoing research into glass as a living material. To discover the world of Gallotti&Radice, registration is required for visits from April 20 to 26 in the heart of Milan, at Palazzo Meli Lupi di Soragna.
