Marcello Morandini biography

Marcello Morandini was born on May 15, 1940, in Mantua and moved to Varese in 1947. From a young age, he showed an innate talent for art and design. He studied at the Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera in Milan, where he developed his artistic skills and began working as an assistant designer for an industry and as a graphic designer for a professional studio.
In 1964, he opened his first graphic design studio in Varese, marking the beginning of his professional career. His first solo exhibition was held in Genoa in 1965, curated by Germano Celant. During this period, Morandini began exploring three-dimensional forms, creating works that were exhibited in significant shows in Milan, Frankfurt, and Cologne. In 1967, he participated in the "IX Biennale" of São Paulo in Brazil, followed by the "XXXIV International Art Biennale" in Venice in 1968, where he was given a personal room in the Italian pavilion.
1969 marked a year of international recognition for Morandini, who represented Italian art in Brussels during the “Europalia” events. In 1970, he began a collaboration with the Basel gallerist Carl Laszlo, culminating in the important 1972 exhibition at the Kestnergesellschaft in Hanover. Morandini continued to expand his artistic influence in Europe, organizing in 1977 the second "International Symposium of Constructive Art Studies" at the Civic Museums of Varese.
The 1980s saw Morandini collaborating with renowned architectural firms, such as Mario Miraglia of Varese and Ong & Ong of Singapore, with whom he designed the 38-story Goldhill Center skyscraper.
In 1982, he received a scholarship from DAAD that allowed him to spend three months in Berlin. During this period, he held an art and design exhibition at the Ceramic Museum in Cerro di Laveno. His international career further expanded with exhibitions in Japan, Germany, and other countries. In 1984, he designed a 220-meter facade for the Thomas porcelain factory of Rosenthal and in 1987 collaborated again with Rosenthal for the facade of the new administrative building in Selb.
In the 1990s, Morandini designed a sculpture at the entrance of the Museum für Konkrete Kunst in Ingolstadt and a 34-story commercial building in Kuala Lumpur. His influence in the design field also manifested through collaborations with Sawaya e Moroni, Cleto Munari and Abitare Baleri, for whom he designed chairs, tables, and furniture.
Since 1994, he has been a member of the jury of the Design Center in Essen and president of the International Museum of Ceramic Design in Cerro di Laveno. He teaches art and design at the Salzburg Summer Academy, at Écal in Lausanne, and at the Brera Academy in Milan. In 2000, Varese dedicated a retrospective and a catalog published by Charta to him.
In 2003, Morandini continued his teaching and creative activity, teaching at the HEAA watchmaking high school in La Chaux-De-Fonds, Switzerland. He is president of the Association of Free Artists of the Province of Varese and in 2004 coordinated the project "Vivere Venezia 3" at the IUAV University of Venice. He designed a 10-meter sculpture for the square adjacent to the Wilhelm-Hack-Museum, which was inaugurated in 2005.
2007 saw Morandini design the architecture of the cultural center "Das kleine Museum" in Weissenstadt, Germany. In 2008, coinciding with the Architecture Biennale, the Ca’ Pesaro Museum in Venice hosted an important exhibition of his work. His 11-meter sculpture, symbol of the Europäisches Industriemuseum di Plößberg, was inaugurated in 2010.
In 2013, Morandini participated in the International Sculpture Biennale of Racconigi and in 2014 dedicated himself to designing two important solo exhibitions at the National Museum of Bayreuth and the National Gallery of Modern Art in Rome. In 2015, he took part in several exhibitions in Germany, Varese, Lugano, and Fukuyama.
2016 was a year of experimentation for Morandini, with nine solo exhibitions in Italy, Austria, and Germany, as well as two solo shows at art fairs in Verona and Padua. In 2017, he inaugurated the MA*GA Museum in Gallarate, officially establishing his Marcello Morandini Foundation/Museum.
Currently, Morandini is dedicated to the Marcello Morandini Foundation, founded in 2016, and to the renovation of its headquarters in Varese, which also serves as a museum. He continues to work on new projects and contribute to the world of art and design with his unique and innovative vision.