The Museum
The ADI Design Museum hosts one of the most important collections of Italian design projects, recognized by the Ministry of Culture as an asset of exceptional artistic and historical significance.
Compasso d’Oro Award Historic Collection
The collection includes around 2,500 projects, including 379 Compasso d'Oro award winners, offering a comprehensive overview of the history of Italian design.
The Compasso d'Oro Award
Founded in 1954 from an idea by Gio Ponti and, since 1958, overseen by the Italian Association for Industrial Design (ADI), the Compasso d’Oro has evolved over the years into the highest Italian award in the field of design and one of the most prestigious internationally.
The Permanent Exhibition
The museum is organized around the permanent exhibition "The Spoon and the City," a dynamic display that presents the Compasso d'Oro winning projects from 1954 to the present, arranged chronologically to create a temporal narrative of the awarded objects.
Thematic Insights: DesignUP – Continuity Solutions
Alongside the chronological path, the museum also offers vertical focuses on specific projects selected for their unique value. These insights allow for a detailed exploration of the evolution of significant projects through archival documents, sketches, and prototypes.
ADI Design MuseumMuseimpresa
DesignUP – Continuity Solutions
The exhibition project highlights how the culture of design has permeated all the different stages of the country’s development. It has humanized mass production processes, enabled the rethinking of service offerings, strengthened the drive of industrial districts.
Compasso d'Oro Lifetime Achievement Award
A space in the museum is dedicated to lifetime achievement awards, representing a "Pantheon" of Italian design. The awardees are celebrated with posters created by contemporary renown Italian photographers, creating a visual tribute to these prominent figures.
Lifetime Achievement Photography A tribute by Italian photographers to the Compasso d'Oro masters by Giovanni Chiaramonte and Michele Nastasi.Museimpresa
The Temporary Exhibitions
In addition to the permanent exhibitions, the museum hosts temporary exhibitions focusing on contemporary design that merge with the permanent collection and provide new perspectives. These exhibitions are also showcased abroad in international tours across different countries.
ADI Design Museum by Ph. Denise ManziMuseimpresa
The museum is a tribute to Italian design, represented by the projects awarded the Compasso d’Oro, but it is also a vibrant space that embraces the future through research. A dynamic space devoted to contemporaneity, aiming to play an active role within the global museum network
