Radical: Italian Design 1965–1985, The Dennis Freedman Collection
Museum of Fine Arts of Houston, July 2020
This exhibition examines Italy’s postwar explosion of disruptive design. Radical: Italian Design 1965–1985 presents furniture, lighting design, architectural models, paintings, and other objects drawn from the landmark collection of Dennis Freedman.
The first U.S. museum exhibition in nearly 50 years to survey this pivotal movement in design history, Radical: Italian Design showcases prototypes, one-of-a-kind, and limited-edition works by architects, designers, and collectives such as Archizoom Associati, Lapo Binazzi, Ugo La Pietra, Alessandro Mendini, Gianni Pettena, Ettore Sottsass, Studio Alchimia, and Superstudio.
Of the works on view, about half are gifts of Dennis Freedman and half are acquisitions from his collection. In addition, Freedman has lent more than a dozen objects to the exhibition. Together, the gifts and acquisitions establish a foundational collection for the MFAH. “