Adriano Olivetti, an Italian Surprise
Adriano Olivetti, an Italian Surprise
LECTURE
Alberto Saibene
March 25, 2026, 2:30 PM
Room PN9, Polo Porta Nuova, Università di Pisa
In the opening, extract of Olivetti; Design In Industry, The Bulletin Of The Museum Of Modern Art: Vol. XX No. 1 Fall 1952. Design by Leo Lionni.
In the poster: cover of the bulletin.
Page cover: Giovanni Pintori, Cover for the dépliant of Olivetti 82 Diaspron, 1959, ad print, 29,7 x 21,2 cm, MAN Collection.
Adriano Olivetti (1901–1960) was a unique figure, both as an entrepreneur and as a thinker, not only in Italy but internationally. Which moments in his biographical journey shaped his choices? What were the consequences? In the final part of the meeting, the discussion will address whether an Olivettian legacy exists and, if so, where it can be identified.
Alberto Saibene has published L’Italia di Adriano Olivetti (new ed. 2025) with Edizioni di Comunità, and edited the anthologies of Adriano Olivetti’s writings Un mondo che nasce (2013) and Città dell’uomo (2015). He has curated exhibitions on Olivetti in Italy and abroad.
This lecture is part of the lecture series Weird Science, Isolated Intelligence: Histories of Architecture, Technology and Evolution, curated by Lina Malfona.
Organizing Committee
Lina Malfona, Università di Pisa
Benedetta Marradi, Università di Pisa
Lucia Giorgetti, Università di Pisa
Elisa Barsanti, Università di Pisa
Cecilia Marcheschi, Università di Pisa
Francesca Molle, Università di Pisa
