The exhibition presents the works and words of dozens of Italian, Quebecois, Canadian and international women architects who have changed the field of architecture. By showing how women and women-led collectives have raised the quality of modern and contemporary design, BUONE NUOVE: Women Architects of Change aims to present inspiring role models for a new generation of city builders.

The Montreal edition of the show presented at the Centre adds two new sections to complete the exhibition:

• A selection of Quebec practices led by women;
• A collection of furniture designed by Italian architects from the golden age of design.

BUONE NUOVE / Women architects of change: An exhibition in four sections

Touring Section

Stories of Italian Architects presents the achievements of 21 remarkable Italian women who have left their mark and helped transform the profession. From Lina Bo Bardi to Gae Aulenti, from the internationally-renowned designers of the post-war period to emerging female practitioners, this section is told through a sequence of four large tables featuring sketches, drawings, videos and various documents. Each table reflects a chronological progression in the evolution of women’s contribution to architecture:

• The Pioneers of the discipline in Italy at the beginning of the 20th century;
• The Golden Age of Design where women architects rethought domestic space and furniture in a modern, functional way;
• Design in Context, where female designers explored space beyond the home to address historical, urban or natural contexts;
• And finally, New Generations which presents contemporary Italian practices producing high-quality architecture.

Alongside the Golden Age of Design component, a selection of furniture by designers and architects Gae Aulenti, Nanda Vigo, Anna Ferrieri Castelli, Franca Helg and Cini Boeri illustrates the very broad definition of the architect’s work in post-war Italy.

The touring section also presents Practices in Italy, which focuses on the important contributions of six internationally renowned architects who completed significant projects in Italy during the first two decades of the 21st century. This section includes  the work of Zaha Hadid, Liz Diller and Kazuyo Sejima.

A series of video interviews are also included in the touring section to present the stories and visions of women who are transforming architecture through practices of activism, scholarship, writing, curating, academic leadership and philanthropy, as well as explorations of the relationship between gender and space, created as part of MAXXI’s Architecture Film Summer School 2021.

Local Section (Quebec & Ontario)

During the exhibition’s run at TMU in September 2024, a local component, Inspiring Practices, profiled fifteen Toronto women architects. For the Montreal edition of the show, sixteen exemplary Quebec women architects have been showcased alongside an example of their work. The sixteen Quebec architects include:  Farida Abu-Bakare, Director of Global Practice, WXY, Manon Asselin, co-founder of Atelier TAG, Anne Carrier, founder of Anne Carrier architecture, Anne Cormier, co-founder of Atelier Big City, Anne Côté, co-founder of Lafond Côté Architectes, Marie-Chantal Croft of Coarchitecture and Annie Lebel, co-founder of in situ atelier d’architecture, Renée Daoust, architect and urban planner, co-founder of Daoust Lestage Lizotte Stecker, Sonia Gagné, senior associate at Provencher_Roy, Sylvie Girard, co-founder of Archi, Lilia Koleva associate architect from NEUF architect(e)s, Anne-Marie Matteau, co-founder of Lupien Matteau, Catherine Milanese, founder of MOA | Maîtrise d’Oeuvre Architecture, Lucie Paquet, founder of Atelier Lucie Paquet Architecte, Kim Pariseau, founder of APPAREIL Architecture and Anik Shooner, co-founder and president of Menkès Shooner Dagenais LeTourneux Architectes.

The originality and quality of the Quebec practices are showcased through the presentation of one of their recent projects.

Italian furniture from the golden age of design 

The Italian post-war period, considered the golden age of design, saw the emergence of major figures such as Cini Boeri, Anna Castelli Ferrieri, Gae Aulenti, Franca Helg and Nanda Vigo. Their timeless creations, produced by the companies Kartell, Martinelli Luce, Acerbis and Bonacina, combine modernity and craftsmanship, as exemplified by the Pipistrello lamp or the Primavera armchair, testifying to a lasting industrial success.

Marking achievements in time

A timeline of the last hundred years traces some of the milestones and landmark achievements in the field of architecture made by remarkable women in Canada and internationally. The timeline juxtaposes these achievements with local and global socio-political events. This broad view of history covering more than a century opens the way to reflection on the role of women architects and the new perspectives they have offered and continue to offer in architecture.

Submit a postcard!

Beyond the selection of projects and portraits of women practitioners, the postcard initiative invites the public to highlight women in architecture, by sending in a combination of images and texts to be presented in the form of postcards displayed in the exhibition. The project is open to all: multiple submissions are welcome. Details (google form) her