THE JACQUELINE VODOZ AND BRUNO DANESE ASSOCIATION

Nel 1991, dopo la cessione della società Danese, Jacqueline Vodoz e Bruno Danese fondano l’associazione culturale che porta i loro nomi, attiva fino al 2005.

L’Associazione vuole porsi come un luogo di scambio sull’idea di progetto, obiettivo ricercato attraverso il triplice appoggio della PROMOZIONE, della TRASMISSIONE e della CONSERVAZIONE. Negli spazi ristrutturati di Via S. Maria Fulcorina 17 a Milano si tengono numerose esposizioni e parallelamente si avviano tutte le attività di catalogazione degli archivi che costituiranno la base per la nascita della futura Fondazione, avvenuta nel 2006.

The enduring commitment of the founders towards the care of the Archives and Collections was decisive for the establishment of the Foundation, which today continues to pursue the activities launched by the association with greater impetus placed on Transmission and Conservation.

The association was primarily set up as a vehicle for ideas, demonstrating Jacqueline Vodoz and Bruno Danese's long-standing role within the world of design.

This led to exhibitions through which a number of reflections on the concept of design, environment and the object were elaborated (Declaration of Interiors: 25 Italian Homes from 1949 to 1993; Object-Environment, Reflections on Design through Eight Models).

Another important theme was the much-debated issue of Decorative Arts (Paradigmaticity of the Decorative Arts: Objects from the Vodoz-Danese Collections; Franco Meneguzzo: The Ceramic Adventure 1949-1963).

The founders of the Association always viewed the act of "showcasing" as a way to inform and involve an audience in design projects taking place inside.

This was also the case with Danese: by simultaneously displaying and giving equal weight to cultural production and object production, they aimed to elicit thought alongside the production of objects. Numerous exhibitions were held at the Danese headquarters in Milan and this spirit of provocation relating to design and aesthetic behavior continued with the creation of the Association.

There were also some unexpected exhibitions that were the result of long-held debates among participating artists (Around Photography: 37 Frames for 37 Photographers; The Watchman and the Sparrow, Interactive CD-Rom).

Col medesimo desiderio di avventura, si è ripercorsa la storia di un artista, cercando di porre in evidenza dei passaggi nodali là dove si rendeva necessario (Ricostruzione teorica di un artista: Bruno Munari nelle collezioni Vodoz-Danese; Umberto Riva: Muovendo dalla pittura; L’avion de papier e altre storie, Jacqueline Vodoz, fotoreporter 1953-1958; Mario Ballocco dal 1949; Impressions Graphiques. L’opera grafica di Giulio Paolini, 1967-2000; Salvatore Licitra: Pensieri, parole, opere. Stefano Casciani, MONUMENTS, Oggetti e Soggetti 1979-2003; Marco Ferreri).

Finally, in addition to the act of “showcasing”, much though has been given to “how” to showcase: this is how Le Goût de la Communication. Images from the Danese Historical Archive 1957-1991 came into being, which was an exhibition on visual and image communication in the Danese company's history from 1957 to 1991.

Archivio Fotografico

The Association's Photographic Archive covers exhibition activities carried out by the Jacqueline Vodoz and Bruno Danese Association, from 1993 to 2004, with photographs capturing all the exhibitions held in the spaces of Via Santa Maria Fulcorina 17 in Milan, containing images relating to the installations and works on display.