ARDUINO CANTAFORA
ARDUINO CANTAFORA was born in Milan, Italy in 1945. He lives and works in Lausanne, Switzerland.
He graduated in architecture from the Milan Polytechnic and worked with renowned architect Aldo Rossi from 1973 to 1978. During the 1970s, Cantafora established himself as a painter, known for his “architectural inventions” that blend rationalist elements with a historical and narrative vision, deeply influencing the postmodern movement.
Cantafora has taught at several prestigious institutions. From 1982 to 1986, he was a professor at the IUAV University of Venice, and later taught at the Academy of Architecture in Mendrisio until 2011. In 1989, he became a full professor at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland, where he directed the chair of visual expression until becoming honorary professor in 2011. He also served as Visiting Professor at Yale University in 1988.
His exhibition career is equally impressive. Cantafora has participated in numerous editions of the Milan Triennale and the Venice Biennale, both in the architecture and visual arts sections. One of his best-known works, La Città Analoga, presented at the Milan Triennale in 1973, is considered a manifesto of the recovery of historical elements in postmodern architecture.
In addition to painting and architecture, Cantafora has produced sets for major theaters such as La Scala in Milan and published several books and essays. Notable among his literary works are Quindici stanze per una casa and Le stanze della vita.
