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An elegant fetish:
Asnago and Vender and
the construction of
Modern Milan
13February2015|ByAlessandroBava

IfRossisreadingofMilanwasratherdefeatist,thispublicationclaimsthatthe
Italiancityhassuccessfullyembodiedhistorywithinitsmodernity.Itsattempt
toassessAsnagoandVendersworkhoweverremainsunsatisfactory

Thisisthesecondinaseriesofbooksthat,accordingtothepublisher,aimto
shedlightontheforgottengenerationofEuropeanarchitects.
ThefirstinthisserieswasabookonthearchitectFernandPouillon,whose
workremainslargelyunknownoutsideFrancepartlyduetoascandalleading
tohisimprisonment,escapeandalongexileinAlgeriabeforeGeorges
Pompidougrantedhimapardon.UnlikePouillon,whowroteextensivelyabout
hislifeandwork,AsnagoandVenderalmostneverwroteabouttheirwork.
Indeed,withtheexceptionofasmallbookin1998(editedbyCinoZucchi),
therehavebeennoothermonographsontheirworkuntilnow.
Thefirstsectionofthebook,MilanAmbiente,articulatesthehistorical
scenarioinwhichtheprojectsweredesigned,featuringessaysbyAldoRossi,
GiPonti,ErnestoNathanRogersandAngeloLunati.Thesetextsappearfor
thefirsttimeinEnglish,andwhiletheyareallessentialreadstograspthe
culturallandscapesurroundingtheworkoftheMilaneseduo,theirtranslation
isnotperfectlyaccurate,andtheycontainanumberofquiteevidentmistakes.
AldoRossisessaycritiquesMilansurbancondition,decryingexcessive
propertyspeculationandpoorcityregulations.Theseobservationsarestillvalid
today,asMilanattemptstorefashionitselfasaglobalfinancialcapitalby
erectingoddshapedskyscrapersandanarrayofpurposelessluxuryhousing.
MilanaspirestoleadthepathintothefutureforItaliancities,byhosting
outdatedeventsliketheupcomingUniversalExpobutasRossinotedaslong
agoasthe1970s[Milanesebuildingcultureis]anonymous,provincial,always
basedonthelatestinnovationsintechnologyandtaste,renderingthem
outdatedbeforetheyareevencompleted.
Itisinterestingtonotethatintheirintroductiontothebook,editorsAdam
CarusoandHelenThomaspaintadifferentpicture,claimingthatunlikeother
majorEuropeanmetropolisesMilanhassuccessfullyembodiedhistorywithin
itsmodernity,claimingthelegacyofAsnagoVenderasthetestamenttosuch
success.ThediscrepancywithRossisreadingofMilancouldbeduetoan
(awkward?)nostalgiatowardsthesoberindustrialbourgeoisiethatshapedthe
modernevolutionofMilan,visvistheunrulyfiscaldynamicsresponsiblefor
theevolutionofcitieslikeLondon.

FollowingtheessaysisasequenceofphotographsbyHlneBinetwithsite
plansthataimtodemonstratetheambiguousrelationshipbetweenthecontext
ofthecityandthesubtlecontextualismofAsnagoVender.Butwhilethe
photographssucceedinmakingvisibletheabstractvernacularanddialectical
approachelsewhererecognisedasthearchetypallanguageofAsnagoVender,
thesitedrawingsfailtocapturethenuancesandtacticsusedtoaddressthe
traditionalarchitectureofthecity.Furthermore,failuretoincludetheground
plansofbuildingssurroundingtheworksmakesithardtoestablishandassess
criticallywhetherthelongstandingcriticismofAVasarchitectsoffacadesis
justifiedornot.
Whilewecanrecognisethatfacadesarehighlypoliticalmanufacturedproducts,
thebookseemstoreinforcethesuspicionthatinAVsworkonlythefacadesare
ofinterest,repeatedattheendofthebookinalongsectiondedicatedto
incrediblydetaileddrawingsoffacadedetails(describedbyRaffaelloGiolliin
1942asconfinedtoaFlatland).
Thisconflict,oftheessaysrepositioningthelegacyofAVwithinthepolitical
andsocialclimateofpostwarMilanwhilethereisanabsenceofsupporting
material,ishighlyproblematic.Ontheonehand,thereisaclaimtolocateAV
withtheprotagonistsofearlyItalianModernismaperiodManfredoTafuri
describedasrefinedasceticism.Ontheotherhand,mostofthebooktriesto
makethecaseforhistoricalcontinuity,takingtheworkofAVasapretextto
argueforcontextualism.
OneimportantissueraisedbytheessaysofHelenThomasandCinoZucchi
thelatterwrittenfortheItalianmonographmentionedearlier,andhere
reworkedisthatofAVsrelationshiptoprofessionalism.Inthewordsof
MassimoScolari(quotedinHelenThomassessay)thisconceptrepresentsthe
commodificationofcultureandestablishesitsobjectivesintheareaof
professionalprofitwithinatraditionalbourgeoissociety.ZucchicitesAlbert
Kahn,whofamouslydescribedarchitectureas90percentbusinessand10per
centart:thisseemstobeaperfectlyappropriateangletoapproachAVs
practice,evidentinthefactthattheyworkedmostlyonprivatecommissions
andparticipatedincompetitionsonlyveryearlyonintheircareer.Thiscritique
ofprofessionalismresonatestodayitiseasytodrawparallelsbetweena
positionlikethatofAV,whichwasunusualatthetimebutisthenormin
todaysarchitecturallandscape.

Inthe60sarejectionofprofessionalismgaverisetotheTendenza,a
movementdefinedbyAldoRossiattheFifteenthMilanArchitecture
Triennale.AsThomasnotes,thispromptedarchitecturetoreturntopureform
andsublimeuselessness,asawaytodistancearchitecturefromcapitalist
ideology.ThefailureofTendenza,anditsevolutionintoPostmodern
architecture(whichdefinitelyendedupsupportingthecapitalistideology)
supportsathesisthatseesthesilentworkofAsnagoVender,andtheir
professionalism,asbettersuitedtocontemporaryprofessionalism.Maybethe
strategyofcomposedfacadesisbetterabletodealwiththeeconomicforces
atplayinthecitythantheretreat,andultimately,dismissalofthe
harshfinancialrealitiesofbuilding?
Onemightwishthisvolumetriedtotakeadefinitedirectiononewayor
another:makingthecaseforprofessionalismandhistoricalcontinuitytoday,or
scientificallyassesswithmoreprecisiontheworkofAsnagoVenderashistorical
figures(beyondthefetishismoftheirelegantbuildingsolutions).Thatsaid,the
bookisexquisitelyproduced,anddeservespraiseforbringingthegreatworkof
theselesserknownarchitectstoaninternationalaudience.

Asnago Vender and the Construction of Modern Milan

Editors:AdamCarusoandHelenThomas
Publishers:GTAVerlag
Price:65

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