(Last updated 28 September 2026) Parma, 21 September 2026 – The exhibition Brionvega. Design & Designers, curated by Francesca De Zotti and Margherita Monica, opened on Saturday 26 September at 11 am in the Sala delle Colonne at Valserena Abbey, home to the University of Parma’s Study Centre and Archive of Communication – CSAC.
The exhibition offers visitors an opportunity to explore the history of the renowned Italian company through the objects and people that, since the 1950s, have helped establish it as a benchmark for research and innovation, not only in Italian radio and television, but also, and above all, in industrial design.
Over one hundred original works are on display, including objects, prototypes, drawings, sketches, advertisements and photographs selected from the more than 8,000 items in the Brionvega Collection, donated by Ennio Brion to the University of Parma’s Study Centre and Archive of Communication in 1989 and expanded in subsequent years through a donation from collector Andrea Rosetti.
The exhibition, which will remain open until 24 December, was inaugurated by the Rector of the University of Parma, Paolo Martelli, and the curators, Francesca De Zotti and Margherita Monica.
The materials belonging to the extensive holdings of CSAC’s Design Section form a unique and essential resource for tracing the company’s history and development through designs and products created from the 1950s to the early 2000s, reflecting and promoting a modern concept of living. These are complemented by materials from the collections of Mario Bellini, Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni, Giancarlo Iliprandi, Bob Noorda and Sottsass Associati, which provide an even fuller picture of the design process behind several iconic objects, including the Radiofonografo rr 126 fo-st, designed by Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni in 1965.
The exhibition follows two complementary perspectives, chronology and authorship, highlighting both the emergence of radio and television sets in Italy and their evolution in terms of technology and consumption, alongside the contributions of individual designers to design and industrial design. These contributions earned the company the Compasso d’Oro award in 1970 “for its commitment to achieving a high standard of quality across the greater part of its production and for choosing to work with the finest Italian designers, in many cases achieving results of considerable cultural value within Italian design”.
The exhibition also includes a special focus on production in the 1980s, particularly the company’s collaboration with Ettore Sottsass Jr. and Sottsass Associati. This collaboration led to the creation of the TVC Memphis I 26” (1980), the only model produced in a limited edition of 100 units, almost as though it were an art multiple, representing the most “radical” outcome of the company’s production.
From 23 November, the exhibition will be accompanied by a second show entitled Brionvega. Technology at Its Most Beautiful. Hosted at Parma’s Civic Library, it will form part of the programme for the third Industrial Storytelling Festival, taking place in Parma from 23 to 28 November 2026. Developed through a collaboration between CSAC and FNI and staged in the Oratorio Novo, the exhibition explores the construction of the company’s identity and the Brionvega “myth” through a rich selection of objects, sketches, historical advertisements and photographs by leading photographers.
Together, these materials document not only the company’s history but also an extraordinary period in Italian design: a time when technology, industry and design entered into dialogue, transforming devices for communication, information and home entertainment into true icons of contemporary culture.
BRIONVEGA. DESIGN & DESIGNERS
Curated by Francesca De Zotti and Margherita Monica
26 September – 24 December 2026
CSAC – Study Centre and Archive of Communication, University of Parma
Valserena Abbey – Strada Viazza di Paradigna 1, 43122 Parma
CSAC Museum opening hours
Friday 9 am – 3 pm, Saturday and Sunday 10 am – 7 pm
Admission
Full-price ticket: €10.00
For information and concessions: https://www.csacparma.it/visita/
Information and bookings
CSAC – Study Centre and Archive of Communication, University of Parma
csac@unipr.it
servizimuseali@csacunipr.it
+39 0521 903500
+39 0521 903649
BRIONVEGA. TECHNOLOGY AT ITS MOST BEAUTIFUL
23–28 November 2026
Oratorio Novo, Civic Library – Vicolo Santa Maria 5, Parma
civica@comune.parma.it
+39 0521 031010
