Aldo Rossi

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Bonnefanten Museum in Maastricht

Aldo Rossi, (May 3, 1931- September 4, 1997 Milan, Italy) was an Italian architect who accomplished the unusual feat of achieving international recognition in three distinct areas: theory, drawing, and architecture. His earliest works of the 1960s were mostly theoretical and displayed a simultaneous influence of 1920s Italian modernism (see Giuseppe Terragni), classicist influences of 19th century architect Adolf Loos, and the reflections of the painter Giorgio De Chirico. He became extremely influential in the late 1970s and 1980s as his body of built work expanded and for his theories promoted in his books "The Architecture of the City" (1966) and "A Scientific Autobiography" (1981).

In his writings Rossi criticized the lack of understanding of the city in current architectural practice. He argued that a city must be studied and valued as something constructed over time; of particular interest are urban artifacts that withstand the passage of time. Rossi held that the city remembers its past (our "collective memory"), and that we use that memory through monuments; that is, monuments give structure to the city.

He is considered the founder of the Neo-Rationalist movement known as La Tendenza (see Rationalism). His influence in shaping European architectural thinking during this period is often compared to that of Robert Venturi in the USA; however, Rossi was clearly progressing Modernist views that were based on European urbanism whereas Venturi was a Post-Modernist.

For the Venice Biennale in 1979 he designed a floating Teatro del Mondo [1] that seated 250 that was towed out to sea. He also designed the National Opera House in Genoa. He won the prestigious Pritzker Prize for architecture in 1990. Ada Louise Huxtable, architectural critic and Pritzker juror, has described Rossi as "a poet who happens to be an architect."

On September 4, 1997, Aldo Rossi died as a result of a traffic accident.