International Exhibition. Turin, 1928

Turin, IV Centenary of Emanuele Filiberto, X Anniversary of the Victory.
National and International Exhibition. 1928.

After just a year from the Roman Exhibition, important releases took place in two of the three cities of the Italian Industrial Triangle: Turin and Milan.
The exhibition that took place in Turin that can be mentioned among the commemorative events of the times, linked ideally two events, one related to the local history: the IV Centenary of the warlord Emanuele Filiberto; the other to the national history (War 1915 – ’18), the tenth anniversary of the Victory. A consistent space was reserved to the Food Exhibition.

Once again, the presence of Barilla results relevant, presenting a stand, indicated with the number 79, made by a solid architectonic plant modelled in wood according to a vaguely classical style. The structure appears like an enlargement of a wall piece of furniture where the large surfaces made in glass are framed by high pedestal piers and by the bump frame that closes in height the final part of the stand.

The compositional scheme articulates according to differentiate intervals the size of the panels of glass, giving formal and dimensional privilege to the central window delimited on top by a raised arch that overcomes in terms of height the rectangular ones placed on the sides. On these two high wooden cups stood up with squared bases and placed as unique decorative element on the top of the composition. At the ends, the long and narrow glass frameworks are embellished by the presence of small rosewood arch proficiently molded.

The largest intermediate windows, and with them also the one at the center made like an arch, are revived by the presence of garlands made by red velvet similar to theater curtains open on the deep perspective decorated with the presence of Barilla products. In an exposition that welcomes the entire productive range of the Parmesan Company, the evident allusion to the theater represents one of the emblematic references to the city of music.

Inside of the precious “box” of glass that has in golden characters the sign of the pasta plant, spaghetti fans and other countless Barilla boxes stand out sharply on the background made by moving drapery and multicolored cloth. The “Flying Cook” profile seems to be gliding on containers that recall in their compositional organization the image of a city observed from above, subjected in turn to an advertising poster of the pasta plant during the Twenties. In this way the stand obtained the connotation of a real urban shop where the uncommon largeness of the window allows an ideal expositional framing for the products perception.

Overall and in its building details, the “Paste Alimentari Barilla” stand dominates as work of high cabinet-making, renewing the successes of a local handcraft, typical of the ancient tradition made famous thanks to the “ax masters” from Parma.
The “patriotic” touch, which the exhibition implies, it’s subtly expressed by very high spaghetti stacks holt together by the spiral of a tricolored ribbon.
Sensitive and admired for the remarkable expositional engagement of the Barilla stand, the Commission awarded the pasta plant with the “Diploma di Gran Premio” “Grand Prix Diploma” with a golden bronze plaque, in addition to a second Silver Medal diploma, donated by the Confederation of Turin Industry.

The stand, potentially projected by the Emilian architect Mario Bacciocchi who cured also the furniture for Barilla of the contemporary shop in via Cavour in the heart of the city center, has been reproduced also in an advertising postcard. Of the same object Barilla Historical Archive keeps a scale model that has been realized by the students of the Arts High School “Paolo Toschi” in Parma.