To co-incide with the Salone 2015 – Taschen opened its first Italian flagship store during Salone, in the historic center of Milan at Via Meravigli 17, ( Corso Magenta District ) opposite the now famously Prada owned, Marchesi cafe.
This is an area within Milan that is known for its independent bookstores
Founded in 1980 by German bibliophile Benedikt Taschen, the publishing house is a household name known for ambitious and accessible publications across the disciplines of art, architecture, design, fashion, film, travel, pop culture and risqué subjects.
Taschen required an interior reflecting the international scope of its titles and its commitment to classical and contemporary art.
The interior design of the Milan store is true to Taschen’s bold, eclectic spirit. It fully embodies unique craftsmanship with cutting edge design and display components, all set to showcase extraordinary art and fashion talent from across the world.
With over 120 square meters of museum like space and spanning two floors, the store presents the complete Taschen catalogue
Taschen celebrated Italian design from the 1950′s with some striking pieces from the personal collection of Benedikt Taschen ( a great collector or modern design and Art )
An imposing Gio Ponti design chandelier on the ground floor was originally commissioned for the Hotel Parco dei Principe
The big bold table in the front of the store is by Angelo Mangiarotti.
Long time Taschen collaborator Marc Newson brilliantly created custom bookshelves on the ground floor, crafted from welded, polished, coated and varnished steel sections with yellow Corian inlays.
Newson designed an adaptable modular library system made from polished galvanised steel that is easy to disassemble and assemble for temporary locations and pop-up stores.
” Visually it was important for me to keep the overall look and feel quite neutral to really showcase the books, highlighting and displaying a select few within coloured (in Milan yellow) resin inserts,” says Newson. ” The challenge in the shelving design was to achieve incredible strength while maintaining a thinness of material “.
The ground floor displays consist of a multitude of cubes in different sizes that make up the bookshelves, service and cash desks.
Staircase and Mezzanine level
The spiral staircase by Salvatoe Licitra features an alcove intended for quiet reading, and its walls are adorned with art from Graphic Thought Facility.
The floors are graduated with colours, with each stair tiled in a different glittering colour
The impressive multi-roomed space also features exquisite Venetian terrazzo flooring by U.S. pop artist, Jonas Wood comprising California flowers and upstairs featuring tropical vegetation in shimmering blues, greens, and yellows and outlined with brass contouring,
1st Floor
marc newson at taschen milan
The first floor, dedicated to limited editions and art prints, houses large glass-top cabinets designed by Marc Newson to frame the extra-large collectors’ volumes.
The second floor’s cabinetry comprises a wall-long series of frontal drawers and cases completely assembled using high level materials such as Corian and Alcantara
Exhibition
Currently being showcased on the 1st Floor is a series of 18 prints by the late Julius Shulman ( a family friend of Benedickt and Marlene Taschen )
Julius Shulman’s photography was instrumental in crafting the image of the midcentury Southern California lifestyle across the United States and around the world.
On the ceiling a 1954 chandelier lamp by Flavio Poli for Archimede Seguso illuminates the exhibition.
He captured Los Angeles and its surroundings in the middle of the 20th century and photographed virtually every important mid-century modernist architect’s work, including the home of Charles and Ray Eames.
His pictures have such a strong signature and really capture the atmosphere of his subject’s homes.
benedikt taschen with marc newson
Benedikt and Marc have collaborated over the years, and as Newson explains …… “Benedikt has become a great friend; he has an incredible broad field of interests, extraordinary connoisseurship, taste, and a brilliant and naughty sense of humour, so when he approached me to consider designing for some of his Taschen Stores I didn’t hesitate to say yes.”
Taschen Milan Opening Night – 16th April 2015
Taschen Milan opened its’ new store with a star studded unveiling and cocktail soiree, bringing together the worlds of art, design and fashion, much like the books they publish.
Benedikt and Marlene Taschen together with Marc Newson where there to welcome an interesting mix of Salone guests.
The opening night was attended by Rem Koolhaas-architect, urbanist and essayist Dutch among the best known on the international scene, Ross Lovegrove designer and visionary, Tim Power, Neil Barrett, Anna Zegna, Carla Sozzani, Francesco Mondadori, R. Ruffini, David Adjaye, Charles Borromeo, Edgar Davids Marta Ferri, Ora Ito, and many more
It was a nice “opening party” where guests could browse books and chat in a relaxed atmosphere.
marc newson and rem koolhaas at taschen
About Taschen
In 1980, Benedikt Taschen open a comic book store in Cologne, Germany, laying the basis for a creative Empire that today marked the world of printed publications related to the image.
Amsterdam, Beverly Hills, Brussels, Cologne, Hamburg, Hollywood, London, Madrid, Miami, New York, Paris, and Milan today, are the elements of a journey through the culture of the image that have transformed this small shop, with a sign made of plastic bags is the name “Be Taschen” sprayed in the manner of “writer” or “grafitti”, in the Cathedral of the image printed on the book.
Architecture, Art, Design, Fashion, Film, Lifestyle, Photo, … are the books that you can find in these places around the world, and the eclectic ability to mix these disciplines
It s always different in every city and every store in the world
