Armani/Silos - The Challenge - Tadao Ando - exhibition

Oct 29, 2026

Giorgio Armani announces The Challenge - Tadao Ando, a major architecture exhibition inaugurated at Armani/Silos for the Salone del Mobile 2019. The display revisits Ando’s creative principles through key works, including Row House, projects in Naoshima, and La Bourse de Commerce, alongside his plan for Armani/Teatro. Curated with Centre Pompidou, the retrospective unfolds through four themes and features over 50 projects with sketches, models, videos, technical drawings, travel notes, and Ando’s own photographs. It opens to the public on 9 April and runs until 28 July 2019.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryLifestyle

FormatPDF

Pages3

Reading Time5 min

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Exhibition Overview

Key Works and Dedicated Display

Themes and Curatorial Structure

Opening Dates and Venue

GIORGIO ARMANI ANNOUNCES THE CHALLENGE-TADAO ANDO, THE NEW EXHIBITION THAT WILL BE INAUGURATED AT ARMANI/SILOS TODAY A major exhibition explores the creative principles of the master of contemporary architecture MILAN, 8th April 2019 - For this year’s Salone del Mobile, a sophisticated design exhibition and a time for cultural reflection, Giorgio Armani will host - at Armani/Silos - the first exhibition dedicated to architecture, a redesigned version of the major retrospective that Centre Pompidou dedicated to Tadao Ando last year in Paris. An original use of nature and the combination of elements like water and light in designed spaces express the Japanese architect’s pure and essential vision. The deep sensibility of the Japanese architect, his philosophy and extreme precision inspired Giorgio Armani to commission him to design Armani/Teatro in via Bergognone, in Milan, in 2001. ‘In Tadao Ando ’s architecture, I see an extraordinary ability to transform “heavy” materials such as metal and concrete into something truly exciting. I very much like his use of light, a fundamental element that helps shape the character of spaces,’ explains the designer. The Challenge showcases the career of Tadao Ando through his most significant works, from Row House in Sumiyoshi - Azuma House (1976), to Project in Naoshima (1988 to today) and La Bourse de Commerce in Paris (2019) . Additionally, for the first time, Ando’s plan for Armani/Teatro (2001) will be on display. The narrative journey through the exhibition - designed by Tadao Ando in collaboration with Centre Pompidou is structured around four major themes: Primitive Shapes of Space, An Urban Challenge, Landscape Genesis, Dialogues with History. The retrospective includes over 50 projects, illustrated with sketches, original models, video installations, technical drawings, travel notes and photographs taken by Ando himself. ‘ Tadao Ando is an absolute master of architecture, with an unmistakable aesthetic style that comes very close to my sensibility. I honestly admire what he does. I’m very happy about this new collaboration and believe that Armani/Silos, with its austere, evocative atmosphere, is the perfect place to express the poetry and power of his work,’ explains Giorgio Armani. ‘In April of this year, I will have the honour to exhibit my architectural ideologies and structures in Milan, the design capital of Italy and the world. I greatly appreciate the generosity of Giorgio Armani in allowing me the opportunity to showcase my work in the prestigious Armani/Silos. This exhibition will encompass my architectural endeavours for the past half-century. It is my hope that this event will contribute to the future development of design and culture,’ says the architect. As a self-taught genius, Tadao Ando - winner of the prestigious Pritzker Prize for Architecture in 1995 - reflectson typical aspects of his work in a distinctive way: ‘I wish to create an architecture that will live on eternally - not in substance or form, but as a memory within people’s hearts,’ he explains. ‘As architecture encounters various phenomena, it activates new dialogues. It is these dialogues that speak to people’s souls. How can I shape these dialogues to be more fundamental and more fruitful? There is no single answer to this question as every project has its own unique context. This is what makes architecture challenging. This is why it is fun. And still today, after half a century, I remain eager to continue tackling the endless challenge of creating architecture.’ It’s a simple language for a complex thought. The Challenge will open to the public on 9th April and run until 28th July. It will be inaugurated during Salonedel Mobile, with the participation of the architect. Tadao Ando Born in Osaka in 1941, Tadao Ando is the world’s best-known Japanese contemporary architect. He has received many prestigious international awards and a “Laurea honoris causa” in 2002 from the School of

FAQs

What is The Challenge - Tadao Ando at Armani/Silos?

It is a major architecture exhibition hosted by Giorgio Armani at Armani/Silos, dedicated to Tadao Ando’s creative principles. The retrospective presents his most significant works and includes the display of his plan for Armani/Teatro.

Which themes structure the exhibition?

The exhibition journey is organized into four major themes: Primitive Shapes of Space, An Urban Challenge, Landscape Genesis, and Dialogues with History.

When and where can visitors see the exhibition?

The exhibition opens to the public on 9 April 2019 and runs until 28 July 2019 at Armani/Silos, Via Bergognone 40, Milano.

Oct 29, 2026

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