A genius of Italian architecture, Gae Aulenti is known worldwide for several large-scale museum projects, as well as iconic design pieces. Aulenti’s prolific career includes significant commissions such as the renovation of the Musée d’Orsay and the Contemporary Art Gallery at the Centre Pompidou in Paris; the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya in Barcelona; the Scuderie del Quirinale in Rome; the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco and the Palavela in Turin.

Born in 1927 in the Friuli region, she studied architecture at the Politecnico di Milano and was one of the few female designers of the postwar period. Her creativity earned her widespread recognition: she was Chevalier de la Legion d’Honneur in France, a professor at the Politecnico di Milano and IUAV, and collaborated with some of the biggest names in the design world throughout her life.