Il Faro Finestra Series Teapot, Teapot Warmer, Sugar Bowl and Milk Jug by Aldo Rossi for Rosenthal Studio Linie, 1990, Set of 4

Italian architect and theoretician Aldo Rossi came to international prominence as an outspoken proponent of neo-rationalism. Adapting a postmodern approach, he advocated for a return to a more classical design aesthetic that embraced forward-facing expressions.

Rossi was born in Milan in 1931. Between 1949 and 1959, he studied architecture at the Politecnico di Milano under the advisorship of architect Piero Portaluppi (1888-1967), whose work bridged the Beaux-Arts and modernist movement. Through the years of Rossi’s studies, the field of architecture in Italy was focused on reconstruction efforts following the damage of WWII. The tenets of modernism were not adequately answering Italy’s urgent building needs, as modernist structures didn’t always couple well with older buildings that were still intact. The limitations of modernist theory stayed with Rossi throughout the course of his career.

From 1955 to 1964, Rossi collaborated with architectural magazine Casabella as a contributor and editor. In 1959, he opened his own architectural firm in Milan. From the 1960s onward, he took on a long string of professorships at major universities—including his alma mater, the Institute of Architecture in Venice, and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, among others—focusing primarily on architectural theory. In 1960, Rossi collaborated with Casabella colleague and friend, Carlo Aymonino (1926-2010), on the design of the Milan Monte Amiata housing complex, which caused a sensation among the international architecture community for the way it blended both austere aesthetics and historical motifs. The project drew inspiration from the writings of Adolf Loos (1870-1933), the paintings of Giorgio de Chirico (1888-1978), the pro-social utopianism of Le Corbusier’s Unité d’Habitation (1947-52).

In 1966, Rossi published the influential book The Architecture of the City. Formed from previous lectures and notes he had written, the book was a manifesto against functionalism and modernism—arguing that a city is a complex, man-made object that develops organically over time. Rossi believed a city should be viewed from a historical perspective and was in favor of reinventing old architectural styles for the modern era. The job of the architect, in Rossi’s view, is to design in congruence with what is already established.

From the 1970s onwards, Rossi’s long-held architectural ideas gelled in the Neo-Rationalist movement, known as “La Tendenza” in Italy. Championed by fellow Italian architects Giorgio Grassi, Massimo Scolari, Ezio Bonfanti, and Carlo Aymonino, among others, La Tendenza aimed at socially and politically engaged architecture that would answer needs beyond pure, practical utility. Rossi’s many successful Tendenza projects include the minimalist and sober Cemetery of San Cataldo (1971-84) in Modena, designed in collaboration with Gianni Braghieri; the floating Teatro del Mondo (1979) for the Venice Biennale, an homage to 18th-century Venice; Hotel il Palazzo (1987-94) in Fukuoka, Japan; and the Bonnefanten Museum (1995) in Maastricht. Beyond his architectural work, Rossi was commissioned by major design brands to create numerous furniture and accessories designs, which often referenced his building projects. Standouts include the Conical Kettle (1984) and La Cupola Espresso Maker (1988) for Alessi, the Teatro Chair (1983) and Milan Chair for Molteni, and the Parigi Sofa (1989) for Unifor.

Rossi won many awards over the course of his career; most notably, he was the first Italian to win the Pritzker Prize for Architecture (1990).  He passed away in 1997, but remains one of the leading postmodern architects, whose original design aesthetic continues to inspire.  

* With special thanks to Fondazione Aldo Rossi

German porcelain manufactory Rosenthal was originally founded as a ceramics-painting studio by Philipp Rosenthal Sr. (1855-1937) in 1879 at Schloss Erkersreuth in Bavaria, near the Czech border. Its first highly popular product was an ashtray inscribed with the words “Resting place for lit cigars.” In 1890, the company moved to the neighboring hamlet of Selb and, a year later, began to manufacture its own porcelain, since white porcelain was, at that time, in short supply. Rosenthal’s first complete table service was called Empire; it was exhibited along with other lines at Paris’s Exposition Universelle in 1900.

With the dawn of the 20th century, Rosenthal began producing porcelain tableware and services formed and decorated in the latest styles, like the Jugendstil Botticelli (1903), the Art Nouveau Darmstadt (1905), and the all-white Maria (1916) lines. Successes with this au courant approach led the company to launch an art pottery division in 1910, dedicated to luxury tableware, vases, and other decorative objects. By the 1930s, figurines were another important Rosenthal product, most notably the Disney-licensed Mickey Mouse pieces introduced in 1931.

In 1934, Philipp Rosenthal was forced to leave his company and country when his Jewish ancestry came under persecution by the Nazi regime. Despite the loss of its founder, the Rosenthal company remained the premier supplier of high-quality porcelain tableware to the Third Reich. After the war, in 1950, Philip Rosenthal Jr. (1916-2001) joined his father's company as an advertising manager. By 1958, he had become its CEO, continuing his father’s vision to produce high-quality porcelain in line with progressive tastes. Through the rest of the 20th century, Rosenthal was the most commercially successful porcelain producer in Germany.

In the postwar era, Rosenthal’s most famous tableware lines have included 2000 by Raymond Loewy and Richard Latham (1954), Magic Flute by Bjørn Wiinblad (1959), Suomi by Timo Sarpaneva (1976), and Moon by Jasper Morrison (1997). The company has enjoyed many popular and critically acclaimed collaborations with designers and brands, like Salvador Dalì, Tapio Wirkkala, Walter Gropius, Andy Warhol, Ron Arad, Enzo Mari, Konstantin Grcic, and Versace.

Rosenthal's product lines have encompassed more than ceramics over the years. In 1972, the company began producing furniture, under the subsidiary Rosenthal Einrichtung, in Espelkamp, Germany. Standouts from this arm of Rosenthal include Gunter Ferdinand Ris and Herbert Selldorf’s futuristic Sunball Lounge Chair (1969), Verner Panton’s Relaxer Rocking Chair (1974), Burchard Vogtherr's Vario Pillo Sectional Sofa (1970s), Vico Magistretti’s lightweight Faun Chair (1970s), and Erwin Nagel’s multifunctional Quadrondo Table (1980s). Later, Rosenthal focused on the production of high-quality office furniture, as well as decorative accessories for private interiors.

In 1997, Rosenthal became an independent arm of the Waterford Wedgwood holding company, but in 2009 faced bankruptcy as the Irish parent began to fall apart. At this time, Rosenthal was sold to Italian housewares group Sambonet Paderno Industrie. Unfortunately, Rosenthal Einrichtung was desolved and only a limited archive of the company's archive was kept intact.

Today, Rosenthal GmbH offers a small, exclusive range of furniture options under the label of Rosenthal Interieur, alongside its classic porcelain and tabletop collections.

* All images courtesy of Rosenthal GmbH.