Cartesio

Bookcase

Aldo Rossi, 1994

The Cartesio bookcase design (1994) draws on the typical facades of “rossiani” buildings featuring square windows with a central cross - Centro Fontivegge in Perugia (1982-89); the Schuetzen Strasse district in Berlin (1992).

Design Aldo Rossi, 1994

It consists of painted sheet metal cubic boxes that can be assembled at will, effectively making it modular.

Designed for the Bonnefantenmuseum in Maastricht, Cartesio consists of painted sheet metal cubes that can be assembled to make bookcases of varying lengths. The final effect recalls the typical facades of “Rossian” architecture, featuring square windows, each with a central cross.

The bookcase is stabilized by a brace and closed by a windowed wooden façade, or alternatively left open: a curtain wall made of a single plywood panel. Internal finishes in bright colours: China Red or Madonna Blue.

Design

Aldo Rossi

Aldo Rossi (Milan, May 3, 1931 - Milan, September 4, 1997) was one of the greatest Italian architects of the 1980’s. His Molteni Group collaboration marked his passage from masterful architect to an industrial designer. He created models and furnishings for the Museum of Maastricht, the Teatro Carlo Felice in Genoa and the reconstruction of the Teatro La Fenice in Venice. Aldo Rossi designed items that were destined to become icons of the 20th century.

Complete biography

“Perhaps it is snobbery but the more I see the world, the more I feel being a citizen of it and the more I want to go back to the old way of things”

Aldo Rossi