Cesare Leonardi and Franca Stagi L’Architecture des arbres

From July 12th to November 10th 2019, the Fondation Cartier will present Trees, an ambitious exhibition devoted to trees, these exceptional living beings with unexpected faculties and yet widely threatened today. On this occasion, the Fondation Cartier is publishing L’Architecture des arbres, a remarkable book resulting from a legendary botanical and architectural study, also presented within the context of the exhibition.

Initially conceived in 1982 by architects Cesare Leonardi and Franca Stagi, this large-format book brings together over 550 drawings of 212 species of trees drawn on a scale of 1:100, with and without foliage, as well as diagrams depicting the projections of shadows and plates presenting seasonal color variations. It also contains 393 descriptions for each family, genus and species of tree, illustrated by drawings of leaves, flowers and fruits, completing a study that lasted over twenty years. Unavailable for a number of years, this book has been published in French for the first time by the Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain. L’Architecture des arbres is a seminal work destined for professionals, architects, landscape architects and designers, as well as all those fascinated by the world of trees.

Cesare Leonardi and Franca Stagi

Between 1963 and 1983, architects and designers Cesare Leonardi (b. 1935) and Franca Stagi (1937-2008) directed a studio in Modena (Italy). They were known for their design of the celebrated Nastro, Eco and Dondolo chairs. Between 1970 and 1980, they turned their attention to architectural projects for parks and collective structures in and around Modena, the starting point of their ambitious study of trees.