Aldo Rossi

Born in Milan in 1931, Aldo Rossi was an architect, theorist, and designer whose uncompromising vision profoundly shaped postwar architecture. After studying at the Polytechnic University of Milan, he began his career with Ignazio Gardella and Marco Zanuso before joining his alma mater as a lecturer. Rossi rose to prominence through his architectural writings and urban design theories, most notably his seminal 1966 treatise The Architecture of the City, which challenged functionalism and championed the traditional European city as a vessel of collective memory. His ideas positioned him as a leading voice of the neo-rationalist movement, La Tendenza.

His built oeuvre, including the Cemetery of San Cataldo in Modena, the Teatro del Mondo in Venice, and the Bonnefanten Museum in Maastricht, can be characterized by austere geometry, classical forms, and a sensitive use of color and motif. Likewise, Rossi applied his postmodern style to products, furniture, drawings, and stage sets.

Honored with numerous awards, Rossi was the first Italian to receive the prestigious Pritzker Architecture Prize in 1990. In March 2020, the MAXXI, Rome, hosted a major retrospective of his work, titled aptly, Aldo Rossi, The Architect and the Cities. Many of his drawings and models are held in major collections around the world, including the Museum of Modern Art, the Centre Pompidou and The Metropolitan Museum of Art. His international legacy endures in both theory and practice, continuing to influence generations of architects, scholars, and urban designers.