On the occasion of the opening of the exhibition The Centenary Triptych: Leonardo 1919, Raphael 1920, Dante 1921 and Italian Genius at the Origins of Made in Italy, held at the Tianjin Art Museum from 3 December 2023 to 7 January 2024, Guicciardo Sassoli de’ Bianchi Strozzi, art historian, critic and curator of international exhibitions, took part in the conference Design in dialogue: Italy – China, held on 4 December 2023 at the Istituto Italiano di Cultura in Beijing.

In his talk, he explored the origins of Italian design in the early decades of the twentieth century, with particular attention to the contribution of Futurism and its influence on the decorative arts, textiles, architecture and the first exhibitions devoted to the applied arts.

The exchange with Professor Xue Yi of Nankai University also offered an opportunity to reflect on the evolution of design in Italy and China and on the prospects for cultural dialogue between the two countries.