A unique exhibition up to 31 January in Italy
Ο Corradino D’Ascanio, the great aeronautical engineering genius who invented the Vespa, is the subject of the exhibition designed and organized by the Piaggio Foundation, with the collaboration of the architect Enrico Agonigi, at the Piaggio Museum in Pontedera (www.museopiaggio.it). The exhibition will be open to the public until 31 January.
Presenting an extensive collection of his various works, original designs, documents and publications of the time, as well as some of the oldest and most representative Vespa models from the Piaggio Museum collection, the exhibition honors both D'Ascanio and the birth of a true benchmark of Italian style and industry, now famous all over the world.
Based on the creation of the first model, of the "98cc" which was created by D'Ascanio with a patent on 23 April of 1946, more than 17 millions of Vespa scooters have been produced and sold worldwide. And the success of the first and most famous scooter continues: the annual sales of Vespa the 2011 are about to reach the remarkable record of 150.000 vehicles. Fifty thousand were sold the 2003, but from the 2006 and then sold annually over 100.000 Vespa scooter, with sales figures constantly increasing.
The opening of the exhibition was attended by officials from the local government of Tuscany and Abruzzo as well as a special guest, the actor Luca Zingaretti, who embodying the role of Corradino D'Ascanio, recited to the audience a series of letters left behind by the great engineer. This documents, along with his personal belongings, were donated by the D'Ascanio family to the organizers of the exhibition at the Piaggio Museum.
The section of the exhibition dedicated to the human unit is presented through a collection curated by Maria D'Ascanio, which takes us to the natural environment where Corradino D'Ascanio worked, with original objects and furniture. Visitors can see a very large collection of photographs and various documents from throughout his life, from his childhood in Popoli, in Abruzzo, the years he lived in America until his arrival at Piaggio.
At the heart of the genius section – introduction to the exhibition catalog by Giorgetto Giugiaro – is a large collection of vehicles, patents and designs, which examine the professionalism and innovation of Corradino D'Ascanio (Peoples, 1 February 1891 – Pisa, 6 August 1981).
Exhibits examine the roots of this engineering genius that led D'Ascanio to patent the first prototype of a modern helicopter and, between the 1945 and 1946, the Vespa, laying the foundations of a story, full of successes, and one of the most important symbols of Italian industry and creativity.
Corradino D'Ascanio's creativity was not limited to mechanical engineering, but it also manifested itself in other areas as the unity of the sorcerer suggests, with catalog commentary edited by Costantino Frontalini. His thousands of ideas include the most original compositions and constructions for the trade fairs where the Vespa was presented, with effects designed to surprise like “the Vespa on a peach branch ” or “the Vespa in a jet of water”. These impressive graphics can be enjoyed at the exhibition, as created using virtual reality technology from Percro's lab, of the University of Sant'Anna, in Pisa.
The last section of the exhibition turns to the legend behind the personality of this great inventor (featured in the catalog by Donatella Puliga): next to the most important models created by D'Ascanio, a series of filmed interviews with friends is shown, colleagues and people who passed from his life, sketching a distinct figure, who lives on in the hearts of those who knew him.
Contributing artists to the exhibition are Daniel Schinasi (who drew the portrait used as a symbol of the exhibition), or Alberto Fremura (who drew the four sketches, each dedicated to one section of the exhibition), the screenwriter Mario Cristiani from Pisa, who curated the reading of the letters by Luca Zingaretti at the opening accompanied by melodies by accordionist Fabio Ceccarelli, which he composed especially for the occasion.
The exhibition will be accompanied by a special stamp collection, on Tuesday 20 December from 14.00 until 20.00 Creation "regarding the modern administration and the European ones, at the Piaggio Museum. The series is designed by Maria Cecilia Imiotti, was inspired by a famous photo by Corradino D'Ascanio, and will be archived at the Post and Telecommunications Museum in Rome.
