Emilio Ambasz

Emilio Ambasz (1943-) is an Argentine architect and designer, a figure of primary importance in the dissemination of the culture of design in the twentieth century. After studying in the United States at Princeton University, he was in fact curator of the architecture and design section from 1969 to 1976 at one of the most important modern art museums in the world, the MoMA in New York. From this position he lived as a protagonist some of the decisive years in the development of a global design idea, organizing events remembered until today: above all the exhibition "Italy: The New Domestic Landscape" (1972) which constituted the international consecration of Italian design and the zenith of its golden age. Proponent of a poetic design capable of satisfying people's need for beauty, in search of a synthesis between past and future, however, he has not limited his contribution to the theoretical sphere only. Starting in 1977 he opened his own studio, also in New York, and tried to give life directly to his vision of him. His activity as a designer has mainly focused on the office world, with collaborations with brands such as Castelli, Tecno and Poltrona Frau, winning four Compassi d'Oro: one in 1981 for the Vertebra seats, a second in 1991 for the seats. Qualis, a third in 2001 for the Saturno lamppost and a fourth career award in 2015. In the architectural field it was instead a precursor of "green architecture", with impressive urban creations covered with plants and natural elements such as the ACROS center of Fukoka in Japan.