The Milan-based studio Migliore+Servetto has designed the exhibition and graphic design project for “The Seduction of Color. Andrea Solario and the Renaissance between Italy and France”, curated by Lavinia Galli and Antonio Mazzotta, currently on view at the Poldi Pezzoli Museum in Milan.
The exhibition, organized to mark the 500th anniversary of Andrea Solario’s death—a master of the Lombard Renaissance—features 30 artworks on loan from major public and private collections in Italy, France, and the United Kingdom, and is the result of a prestigious scientific collaboration with the Musée du Louvre.
Migliore+Servetto’s design intervenes with lightness and respect in the ground floor rooms of the historic house-museum, creating a fluid narrative path that guides visitors through three thematic environments dedicated to Solario’s Venetian, French, and Milanese periods, preceded by an introductory space.
The space is defined by central angled partitions and a bold use of burgundy for the walls, flooring, and architectural elements. This intense, classic hue echoes the tones of the museum’s existing rooms, generating an enveloping, coherent atmosphere—a kind of “box within a box” where the artworks engage with the space in a deep and intimate dialogue.
The pieces are enhanced by dark blue double-angled backdrops: the vertical plane either groups or isolates the artworks, establishing a narrative rhythm, while the inclined plane above houses a targeted lighting system that enhances the visual experience and encourages a contemplative, respectful relationship between viewer and artwork.
The exhibition’s graphic design is not merely didactic—it becomes an active part of the storytelling. Drawings, historical maps, and texts are juxtaposed to immerse the viewer in the cultural and historical context of Solario’s life and work. Particularly evocative is the inclusion of the various signatures used by the artist throughout different stages of his life, displayed on the backdrops as tangible traces of his artistic and personal journey.
For more info: architettimiglioreservetto.it
CREDITS
Project: exhibition and graphic design project for “The Seduction of Color. Andrea Solario and the Renaissance between Italy and France”
Studio: Migliore+Servetto
Location: Milan, Italy
Year: 2024
Photo: Nicola Colia
