Biography

Gae Aulenti (1927–2012) was an Italian architect, interior designer, and architectural theorist. She trained as an architect in Milan in the 1950s, at a time when Italian architecture was engaged in a cultural-historical exploration focused on reviving the architectural values of the past and the existing built environment, and had joined the Neoliberty movement. Aulenti was part of this movement, which was at odds with rationalism. At the 13th Milan Architecture Biennale in 1964, she designed the Italian pavilion. From 1966 to 1969, she served as vice president of the Society of Italian Designers. She created stage designs (notably for director Luca Ronconi), furniture, various interior designs, gardens, residential spaces, hotels, schools, and stores.
She gained international renown in the 1980s.
From 1980 to 1986, she led the project to renovate and convert the Orsay train station in Paris into a museum, a project for which she is remembered in France. From 1982 to 1985, she redesigned the Georges Pompidou National Center for Art and Culture. From 1985 to 1992, she renovated the Palau Nacional de Montjuïc in Barcelona, transforming it into the National Art Museum of Catalonia.

To find out more, please click on  this Wikipedia link.