Domitilla Dardi

Domitilla Dardi is an Italian design historian and curator. After the degree in Art History and a PhD in History and Criticism of Architecture, from 2003 to 2007 she was professor of History of Industrial Design and Contemporary Art History in the Department of Architecture of Ascoli Piceno University.

From 2007 to 2023 she was the Design Curator at MAXXI Museum in Rome.

Since 2019 she is the co-founder and curator of EDIT Napoli, international fair of independent design.

In 2016 and 2017 she curated “Object”, the collectible design section of Miart - Modern and Contemporary Art Fair in Milan.

Since 2007 she has been professor of History of Design at IED in Rome, and she taught as Visiting Professor in several universities such as at Universidad de Navarra in Pamplona, Made Program in Siracuse, Abadir Academy in Catania.

She curated several exhibitions, such as: “Alcantara-MAXXI Project” (from 2011 to date, with Giulio Cappellini), “Universo Rietveld” (MAXXI Rome, 2012, with Maristella Casciato and Ida van Zjil), “Gaetano Pesce. Il tempo della diversità” (MAXXI Rome 2014), “Temporanea. Studio Formafantasma” (Istituto Italiano di Cultura, Paris, 2015), “100x100 Achille” (Fondazione Achille Castiglioni, Milan, 2018, with Chiara Alessi).

She is contributor of several design magazines such as Domus, Icon Design, Interni (as contributor and Board of Experts member).

Her books include: Achille Castiglioni (Testo e Immagine, 2001), Il Design di Alberto Meda. Una concreta leggerezza (Electa, 2005), Design in 100 objects (Federico Motta editore, 2008), Eero Saarinen (24orecultura, 2012, 2013) and Design History Handbook (with Vanni Pasca, Silvana Editoriale, 2019), “Playgrounding” (Corraini 2022), the trilogy “Herbaria”, “Bestiaria” and “Mineralia” (24Ore Cultura, 2022-2025) and the recent “Cucire universi” (Einaudi, 2026).