Fiera Milano: A Century of Italian Design & Industry | Exhibition 2024-2026
Milan, Italy – An exhibition opening today at the ADI Design Museum chronicles over a century of Italian industrial, economic, and cultural history through posters, photographs, and archival materials from the Fondazione Fiera Milano. The show, titled “Fiera Milano motore del Made in Italy” (Fiera Milano, Engine of Made in Italy), traces the evolution of Italian manufacturing and design, and the role the Fiera Milano trade fair has played in its development.
The exhibition showcases how the Fiera Milano has both accompanied and anticipated transformations within the Italian production system, from the early days of mechanical engineering and chemistry to the rise of the automotive industry, design, food, and fashion. According to Giovanni Bozzetti, President of Fondazione Fiera Milano, the exhibition offers a glimpse into a rarely seen collection. “For over a century, Fiera Milano has been one of the places where Italy showcases its production capacity to the world,” Bozzetti stated. “In its halls, businesses, innovation, and creativity meet, contributing to the construction of the identity of Made in Italy. With this exhibition, we are opening to the public a part of the heritage held in our Historical Archive, returning documents to the city of Milan and the country that tell how the Fair has accompanied the industrial, cultural and social development of Italy.”
The exhibition’s origins lie in the work to preserve and showcase the Historical Archive of Fondazione Fiera Milano, which contains over a kilometer of documents, photographs, catalogs, films, and graphic materials. The archive doesn’t just document the history of the fair itself, but similarly the broader evolution of Italian industry and society throughout the 20th century.
The exhibit’s chronological journey begins with the first “Campionaria” fair in 1920, held along the walls of Porta Venezia, which quickly attracted thousands of visitors. Posters from the 1930s reflect the spirit of progress with the arrival of early automobile prototypes and large-scale industrial displays. Images from the post-World War II reconstruction period demonstrate the fair’s ability to recover and re-establish itself as a central hub for the national industry. A lesser-known aspect of the fair’s history is its role in 1946, when it temporarily housed opera performances from Teatro alla Scala, which had been damaged during the war.
The economic boom of the 1950s and 60s transformed the Fiera Milano into a showcase for modernity, featuring household appliances, fresh materials, television, technological innovations, and urban planning projects – including a carriage from the developing Milanese subway system. The exhibition highlights key innovations and industrial icons, such as the presentation of the Fiat Balilla in the 1930s and the introduction of Moplen in 1957, a polypropylene material invented by chemist Giulio Natta that revolutionized the industry and the production of everyday objects.
“Fiera Milano motore del Made in Italy” is free to the public and runs from March 21st to April 15th, 2026, at the ADI Design Museum, open daily except Fridays, from 10:30 AM to 8:00 PM. The ADI Design Museum is currently hosting several other exhibitions, including a display of the XXIX Compasso d’Oro award winners, a solo show by Japanese designer Haruka Misawa, and an installation by Mario Botta inspired by Le Corbusier, all running through April 26th, 2026.