Where Bauhaus and German Modernism shaped the first half of the 20th century, Alchimia revolutionised the second: a radical departure from functionalism and industrial norms. Founded in 1976 by Alessandro and Adriana Guerriero, Alchimia was born out of a spirit of protest – not against anything, but for an alternative vision of design. Design was no longer just about function – it was about moving, surprising and seducing. Using bold colours, cheap materials and a sense of playful seriousness, the Milanese collective turned the rules of design on their head from the mid-1970s onwards – creating objects that were more manifesto than furniture. Alchimia combined a fundamental critique of soulless mass production with an aesthetic utopia: life itself as a total work of art.

The exhibition at Berlin’s Bröhan Museum – curated by Dr Tobias Hoffmann and Professor François Burkhardt – is the first major retrospective of this legendary movement in Germany. Alchimia highlights the epochal break with traditional design concepts and the cultural and creative impulses that resulted. Featuring works by designers such as Alessandro Mendini, Ettore Sottsass and Andrea Branzi, the exhibition also documents thought processes, contexts and the subversive power of irony and imagination. The exhibition is accompanied by an extensive programme of events and a comprehensive catalogue published by Hirmer Verlag.

The exhibition will be held under the patronage of Frank-Walter Steinmeier, President of the Federal Republic of Germany, and Sergio Mattarella, President of Italy.