Since the beginning, the human being has contributed with his handcrafts to build up his own heaven on earth. The sign of mankind marks every possible heaven on earth.
Dino Gavina
Since the beginning, the human being has contributed with his handcrafts to build up his own heaven on earth. The sign of mankind marks every possible heaven on earth.
Dino Gavina
Paradisoterrestre
Bologna, late Forties. In the shop of a young upholsterer one of the most significant revolution in the field of twentieth-century design and art is about to take place. A human adventure, even before being an entrepreneurial one, destined to unfold for more than half a century and to trigger a radical transformation in Italian and international design. The protagonist of this intense and fruitful creative season is Dino Gavina, a multifaceted and subversive figure, a man impossible to circumscribe in conventional definitions.
The undisputed merit of the Bolognese entrepreneur was his ability to surround himself with some of the most prestigious figures in the world of art and architecture. Among the most important names Carlo Scarpa, Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni, Ignazio Gardella, Kazuhide Takahama, Marcel Breuer, Man Ray, Marcel Duchamp, Lucio Fontana, Roberto Matta, Tobia Scarpa, Luigi Caccia Dominioni, Enzo Mari,…
Paradisoterrestre was Gavina's last major enterprise, conceived in the late Seventies and inaugurated in 1983. The brand is initially specialized in the creation of outdoor objects and urban furniture. The wealth of knowledge, experience and frequentation, consolidated over the previous years, is poured into Paradisoterrestre. The house, in its components, the artificial one of the building and the natural one of the garden, is the space of life. Gavina's will is to transform it into that small, personal, intimate corner of Heaven on earth. An Eden lost and rediscovered thanks to the beauty of things, where functionality of the objects proposed in the catalogue matches the contemplation of forms.
Paradisoterrestre universe, made up of solid and synergetic relationships based on friendship and esteem, has been and continues to be a hotbed of culture in which some of the most famous pieces of Italian design are conceived. Since 2017 cultural and material heritage merges with innovation: the original project is realized not only through the re-edition of historical pieces designed by great masters, but also by encouraging and promoting the production of new collections in collaboration with big names on the contemporary scene.
In the new course Paradisoterrestre presents its catalogue – ranging from historical to contemporary Editions – which has as its own characteristics the cornerstones of Dino Gavina’s visionary and anticipatory experience: dialogue between art and design; excellence of the production quality; artisan tradition applied on an industrial scale; language and aesthetic experimentation.
The Gallery
In 2018 Paradisoterrestre opened the doors of its new home in Bologna at Via De’ Musei 4. A hybrid space between a gallery and a showroom, between art and design. Creative director Pierre Gonalons conceived the interior design as the home of an ideal collector, inspired by the Italian style of the Seventies. The internal architecture of the enchanting first floor apartment respects the history of the building, located in the central area of the Quadrilatero a few steps from Piazza Maggiore, while suggesting a contemporary living space.
A house inhabited by objects, Editions from Paradisoterrestre catalogue and important pieces from the Historical Design Selection, for a total experience of the Paradisoterrestre universe between art, architecture and collectible design.
Major exhibitions have been held at the gallery: ULTRAMATTA - Roberto Matta's amazing adventure in the world of design (2019), TOBIA SCARPA - Dall’arte della misura silenziosamente (2020), Paola Pivi - Rock the art (2021), Augusto Betti - Trasversale • Pulsazione • Ritmo (2022) and Cento % Dino (2022).