Founded as a typewriter manufacturing company by Camillo Olivetti in 1908 in Ivrea, Italy, Olivetti is considered one of the leading manufacturers of the mid-20th century. Recognising the importance of design over pure functionalism, a concept largely owed to his son, Adriano Olivetti, the company produced some of the most iconic hand-typing devices and early computers of the 20th century: from the Lettera 22 (1950) and Valentine (1969) typewriters, to the Elea 9003 (1959), Italy's first computer, and the Programma 101 (1965), the first commercially produced desktop computer.
This display presents photographs, films and ephemera relating to Olivetti's graphic and spatial design, as well as architecture. Focusing largely on the industrial boom of the post-war era, the display will cover a key period in Olivetti's history, a time which saw the creation of the iconic Valentine typewriter and the company's increasing move towards computer technologies.
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