Typewriting architects: projects and research from the AUA studio and the role of Manfredo Tafuri

Abstract

This paper considers the formative years of Manfredo Tafuri in Rome, first as a member of the student group ASeA, then as a founder of the AUA studio. Rome at that time was a place of dense debate. Discussions were conducted mostly outside the retrograde School of Architecture but in the context of the network of associations and professional firms in the area. In this fervid cultural climate, Tafuri emerged first as both a designer and scholar, then as an extraordinary architectural critic, until in 1964, he decided to abandon designing altogether and dedicate himself entirely to history. Manfredo Tafuri’s Roman years have been analysed through his writings and projects carried out as a member of research groups — along with the accounts of some of his colleagues and traveling companions. The aim is to delve into the organisation of the AUA office, Tafuri’s role within it, and the reasons for his ultimate refusal to practice architecture.

Acknowledgments

The author would like to thank the Library staff of the Istituto Universitario di Architettura di Venezia IUAV for having made it possible to consult Federico Rosa’s thesis paper. The author would also like to express her gratitude to professors Enrico Fattinnanzi for providing precious context for the events, Meri Angelini and Franco Purini for making Tafuri’s drawings available to her, and Vieri Quilici for his generous and careful testimony and for the materials that he kindly provided.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1 Luisa Passerini, Manfredo Tafuri, and Denise L. Bratton, ‘History as Project: An Interview with Manfredo Tafuri’, ANY: Architecture New York, ‘Being Manfredo Tafuri: Wickedness, Anxiety, Disenchantment’, 25/26 (2000), 10–70 (p. 17).

2 Giorgio Ciucci, ‘Gli anni della formazione’ [‘The Formative Years’], Casabella, 619/620 (1995), 12–24.

3 See Passerini, Tafuri, and Bratton, ‘History as Project’; Federico Rosa, ‘Progetto e critica dell’urbanistica moderna: i primi anni di attività di Manfredo Tafuri, 1959–1968’ [‘Design and Criticism of Modern Urbanism: The Early Years of Manfredo Tafuri’s Work, 1959–1968’] (unpublished master’s dissertation, University of Venice Iuav, 2002–2003, 2 vols); Dal progetto alla storia. Gli anni della critica e della nuova dimensione urbana [From Project to History: The Years of Criticism and The New Urban Dimension], ed. by Luka Skansi (Macerata: Quodlibet, 2022); and Andrew Leach, ‘Choosing History: Tafuri, Criticality and the Limits of Architecture’, The Journal of Architecture, 10.3 (2005), 235–42. In his essay on Aldo Rossi’s contribution to typological studies, Pier Vittorio Aureli deals — even if only transversely — with the work of the AUA group and the role of Manfredo Tafuri in it, focusing on Tafuri’s view of urban planning as a new dimension for architectural practice. See Pier Vittorio Aureli, ‘The Difficult Whole’, Log, 9 (Winter/Spring 2007), 39–61. Although it does not focus on the Roman years, the lecture by Alberto Asor Rosa — later republished in English on Log — deals with the inner tension of Manfredo Tafuri between criticism and history; see Alberto Asor Rosa, ‘Manfredo Tafuri, or Humanism Revisited’, Log, 9 (Winter/Spring 2007), 29–38.

4 Quilici’s testimonies have also appeared in recent publications; see Vieri Quilici, L’architettura militante. Colloquio con Vieri Quilici [Militant Architectur:. Interview with Vieri Quilici], in Lo storico scellerato. Scritti su Manfredo Tafuri, ed. by Orazio Carpenzano, Marco Pietrosanto, and Donatella Scatena (Macerata: Quodlibet, 2019), 99–106; and Vieri Quilici, ‘Gli anni sessanta, la formazione degli architetti’ [‘The 1960s, The Training of Architects’], Rassegna di Architettura e Urbanistica, 112/113/114 (2004), 30–4.

5 Passerini, Tafuri, and Bratton, ‘History as Project’, p. 20.

6 The ASeA was founded in 1959 by Giorgio Piccinato, Vieri Quilici, and Manfredo Tafuri, with some colleagues from the Rome School of Architecture, including Lucio Barbera, Sergio Bracco, Alessandro Calza Bini, Enrico Fattinnanzi, Massimo La Perna, Claudio Maroni, Gianfranco Moneta, and Massimo Teodori.

7 Associazione studenti e architetti (L. Barbera, S. Bracco, S. Calzabini, E. Fattinnanzi, M. La Perna, C. Maroni, G. Moneta, G. Piccinato, V. Quilici, M. Tafuri, and M. Teodori), ‘ASEA: manifesto costitutivo’, L’architettura. Cronache e storia, 45 (1959), 211.

8 These lines are from a conversation that took place in Enrico Fattinnanzi’s home in Piazza di Santa Maria in Trastevere, Rome, on 25 February 2022.

9 Associazione studenti e architetti, ‘ASEA: dichiarazione programmatica dell’associazione studenti e architetti’ [‘ASEA: Programmatic Statement of the Students and Architects Association’], Superfici, 5 (1962), 42, quote translated by the author.

10 Passerini, Tafuri, and Bratton, ‘History as Project’, p. 23.

11 Conversation with Fattinnanzi, 25 February 2022.

12 These lines are from a conversation with Vieri Quilici, held in his studio in Piazza Gentile da Fabriano, Rome, on 18 January 2022. In Manfredo Tafuri’s version, the school was occupied for 60 days; see Passerini, Tafuri, and Bratton, ‘History as Project’, p. 23.

13 Philosopher Massimo Cacciari also came to the History Department, and in 1968 saw the birth of Contropiano, the revolutionary journal directed by Cacciari himself and Alberto Asor Rosa.

14 From many conversations with Vieri Quilici, Enrico Fattinnanzi, and Franco Purini, I discovered that Palla was the name of the character designed by Jacovitti and inspired by Tafuri. Pippo (alias Tafuri) was part of the trio Pippo, Pertica, and Palla, and was recognised as the leader of the group, intelligent, imaginative and wise. See conversation with Fattinnanzi, 25 February 2022, and conversation with Quilici, 18 January 2022.

15 Vieri Quilici maintains that Tafuri felt intimately Jewish but did not say so explicitly. In his interview with Paul Henninger, Georges Teyssot told that many of Tafuri’s ideas are hardly comprehensible outside of the context of his origins: ‘Tafuri was […] a person who as an infant was pursued by the Gestapo in Rome because he was half-Jewish (his mother’s side), hidden in concealed apartments by friends, very badly injured when Rome was bombed by the Allies, and who suffered through a terrible succession of diseases. For Tafuri life had been absolutely dramatic.’ Georges Teyssot and Paul Henninger, ‘One portrait of Tafuri’, ANY: Architecture New York, 25/26 (2000), 10–6 (p. 14). It is possible to learn about these events through the words of Tafuri himself; see Passerini, Tafuri, and Bratton, ‘History as Project’, p. 18.

16 Teyssot and Henninger, ‘One portrait of Tafuri’.

17 See, for examples, Manfredo Tafuri, ‘Studi e ipotesi di lavoro per il sistema direzionale di Roma’ [‘Studies and Working Hypotheses for Rome’s Directional System’], Casabella continuità, 264 (1962), 27–36; Manfredo Tafuri, Giorgio Piccinato, and Vieri Quilici, ‘La città territorio: verso una nuova dimensione’ [‘The City Territory: Toward a New Dimension’], Casabella continuità, 270 (1962), 16–25; and Manfredo Tafuri and Enrico Fattinnanzi, ‘Un’ipotesi per la città-territorio di Roma – Strutture produttive e direzionali nel comprensorio pontino’ [‘A Hypothesis for the City-territory of Rome: Manufacturing and Office Facilities in the Pontine Area’] Casabella continuità, 274 (1963), 26–37.

18 See Manfredo Tafuri, ‘I lavori di attuazione del PRG di Roma’ [‘The Implementation Works of the PRG of Rome’], Italia nostra. Bollettino dell'associazione nazionale ‘Italia nostra’ per la tutela del patrimonio artistico e naturale, 18 (1960), 6–11; Manfredo Tafuri, ‘Il codice dell'urbanistica ed i piani di risanamento conservativo’ [‘The Town Planning Code and Conservative Rehabilitation Plans’], Italia nostra, 21 (1961), 13–7; Manfredo Tafuri, ‘Il riordinamento della Galleria Doria Pamphili, Villa Chigi, Villa Savoia’ [‘The Reorganisation of the Doria Pamphili Gallery, Villa Chigi, Villa Savoia’], Italia Nostra, 22 (1961), 26–8; Manfredo Tafuri and Vieri Quilici, ‘Il problema di Villa Savoia’ [‘The Issue of the Villa Savoia’], Italia Nostra, 23 (1961), 12–9; and Manfredo Tafuri, ‘Il paesaggio industriale’, Italia Nostra, 27 (1962), 1–5.

19 Rosa, ‘Manfredo Tafuri', p. 30.

20 Antonio Cederna, Mirabilia Urbis. Cronache romane 1957–1965 [Mirabilia Urbis: Roman Chronicles 1957–1965] (Torino: Einaudi, 1965), p. IX.

21 See Carlo Aymonino, ‘La condizione edilizia di Roma’ [‘Rome’s Building Condition’], Casabella continuità, 279 (1963), 4–25 (p. 24); Gianni Accasto, Vanna Fraticelli, and Renato Nicolini, L’architettura di Roma capitale 1870–1970 [The Architecture of Capital Rome 1870–1970] (Turin: Golem, 1971); and Vieri Quilici, ‘I gattopardi dell’urbanistica’ [‘The Gattopardi of Urban Planning’], Superfici, 6 (1963).

22 Manfredo Tafuri, ‘La prima strada di Roma moderna: Via Nazionale’ [‘The First Street in Modern Rome: Via Nazionale’], Urbanistica, 27 (1959). Appearing in the same issue of this journal was Ludovico Quaroni’s article, ‘Una città eterna: quattro lezioni da 27 secoli’ [‘An Eternal City: Four Lessons from 27 Centuries’].

23 Manfredo Tafuri and Massimo Teodori, ‘Un dibattito sull’architettura e l’urbanistica italiane’ [‘A Debate on Italian Architecture and Urbanism’], Casabella, 241 (1960), 56–7 (p. 56).

24 Luigi Cosenza was an Neapolitan professor, architect, and engineer, who immediately after graduation joined the nascent rationalist movement and after the war worked for Olivetti, building the Pozzuoli plant, an example of the integration of architecture and landscape. A point of reference for young architects, Cosenza lived in a house in Posillipo, Neaples, with a beautiful terrace from which the roar of his lion could often be heard, terrifying his visitors. Both Enrico Fattinnanzi and Vieri Quilici tell of their surreal visits to Luigi Cosenza’s place, along with Manfredo Tafuri. See conversation with Fattinnanzi, 25 February 2022, and conversation with Quilici, 18 January 2022.

25 Tafuri and Teodori, ‘One Portrait of Tafuri’.

26 Manfredo Tafuri, ‘La vicenda architettonica romana 1945–1961’ [‘The Roman Architectural Events 1945–1961’], Superfici, 5 (1962), 20–42.

27 The AUA had a stable nucleus, consisting of Giorgio Piccinato, Vieri Quilici, and Manfredo Tafuri, with Lucio Barbera, Sergio Bracco, Alessandro Calza Bini, Enrico Fattinnanzi, Massimo La Perna, Claudio Maroni, Gianfranco Moneta, Massimo Teodori, who had all been members of the ASeA, along with Maurizio Moretti, Bernardo Rossi Doria and Stefano Ray, joined occasionally by Lidia Soprani, Meri Angelini, Gino Ceci, Sandro Orlandi, and Mimmo d’Ercole.

28 As recounted by Vieri Quilici; see conversation with Quilici, 18 January 2022.

29 This is in reference to the AUA’s participation in the 33rd Trade Fair in Toulouse, held from 30 April to 11 May 1964. The panels they displayed showed the results of competitions in which they the group had participated.

30 Passerini, Tafuri, and Bratton, ‘History as Project’, p. 25.

31 As recounted by Vieri Quilici; see conversation with Quilici, 18 January 2022.

32 Federico Correa, Sybil Moholy-Nagy, Figini and Pollini, Ernesto Rogers-Casabella, Bruno Zevi-L’Architettura, Bruno Zevi-L’Espresso, Piccinato and Quilici, Cesare Brandi-Corriere della Sera, Giovanni Bernasconi-Rivista Tecnica, Crespi/Grisotti-Architettura Cantieri, ‘Neoliberty: the Debate’, The Architectural Review, 126.754 (1959), 341–4.

33 Giorgio Piccinato, ‘Il più attivo, il più esposto, il più agguerrito’ [‘The Most Active, the Most Exposed, the Most Aggressive’], in Lo storico scellerato. Scritti su Manfredo Tafuri, ed. by Orazio Carpenzano, Marco Pietrosanto, and Donatella Scatena (Macerata: Quodlibet, 2019), 55–66. On this subject, see also Passerini, Tafuri, and Bratton, ‘History as Project’, p. 21.

34 During the ILSES seminar in Stresa (19–20 January 1962), four topics were debated: centralisation and decentralisation; problems in the transformation from city to city-region; economic and social characteristics of the city-region; and dynamics and form of the new city. The acronym ILSES stands for the Lombard Institute for Economic and Social Studies [Istituto Lombardo per gli Studi Economici e Sociali].

35 Ludovico Quaroni, La torre di Babele (Padua: Marsilio, 1967), p. 43.

36 Piccinato, Quilici, and Tafuri, ‘La città territorio’, p. 19.

37 Rosa, ‘Manfredo Tafuri’, p. 120.

38 Lina Malfona, ‘Il disinganno. Manfredo Tafuri e il lavoro immateriale’ [‘Disenchantment: Manfredo Tafuri and Immaterial Labour’], in Lo storico scellerato. Scritti su Manfredo Tafuri, ed. by Carpenzano, Pietrosanto, and Scatena, pp. 291–8.

39 Some of these projects are documented in Federico Rosa’s thesis, which draws from the archives of Vieri Quilici.

40 See Leach, ‘Choosing History’, p. 237; and Passerini, Tafuri, and Bratton, ‘History as Project’, p. 28–9.

41 Quilici, ‘Gli anni sessanta’, p. 33.

42 Piccinato, ‘Il più attivo’, p. 66, quote translated by the author.

43 Ciucci, ‘Gli anni della formazione’, p. 18, quote translated by the author.

44 Richard Ingersoll and Manfredo Tafuri, ‘There is No Criticism, Only History: Richard Ingersoll interviews Manfredo Tafuri’, Design Book Review (Spring 1986), 8–11, reprinted in English and Italian in Casabella, 619/20 (January/February 1995), 96–99 (p. 97).

45 Rosa, ‘Manfredo Tafuri’.

46 Passerini, Tafuri, and Bratton, ‘History as Project’, p. 63.