Duilio Forte (born 5 November 1967) is a Swedish-Italian
artist
An artist is a person engaged in an activity related to creating art, practicing the arts, or demonstrating the work of art. The most common usage (in both everyday speech and academic discourse) refers to a practitioner in the visual arts o ...
and
architect
An architect is a person who plans, designs, and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...
.
He works primarily with wood and iron, creating large sculptures and unique exterior sculptural saunas.
[Petroni, Marco (9 May 2016)]
Interni italiani (Italian Interior)"
" ''Domus''. Accessed 20 November 2022. He teaches at the Nuova Accademia Belle Arti di Milano and other institutions in Italy.
Early life
Forte was born in Milan in 1967 and is half Italian, and half Swedish.
His Italian father, Ettore Forte, was a surgeon and his Swedish mother was a housewife.
[Craighero, Ambra. (5 February 2010)]
La mia casa, una palafitta sulla città ("My house, a stilt house over the city)
. ''Corriere Della Sera ed. Milano'' (Italy). Accessed 20 November 2022.
He studied architecture at
Polytechnic University of Milan
The Polytechnic University of Milan (, abbreviated as PoliMi) is a university in Milan, Italy. It is the largest technical university in the country, with about 40,000 enrolled students. The university offers undergraduate, graduate, and higher ...
, graduating in 1994.
In 1994, he won the first prize in the San Carlo Borromeo at La Permanente of Milan with the Ekeberg
Sauna
A sauna (, ) is a room or building designed as a place to experience dry or wet heat sessions or an establishment with one or more of these facilities. The steam and high heat make the bathers perspire. A thermometer in a sauna is used to meas ...
, constructed in
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...
.
Career
After college, Forte continued designing and building outdoor saunas, with each being a unique architectural design.
On March 13, 1998, Forte founded AtelierFORTE, an architecture and sculpture research laboratory.
AtelierFORTE specializes in unique outdoor saunas and other architectural installations.
Its structures are designed according to Forte's ''ArkiZoic Manifesto,'' written in 2009 on the anniversary of the birth of
Charles Darwin
Charles Robert Darwin ( ; 12 February 1809 – 19 April 1882) was an English Natural history#Before 1900, naturalist, geologist, and biologist, widely known for his contributions to evolutionary biology. His proposition that all speci ...
''.
'' The manifesto defines his style which is characterized by a union of architecture and the
geologic periods.
It includes eight points: method, evolution, mathematics, representation, structure, symmetry, materials, and decoration.
Since 2003, Forte has organized and taught StugaProject, an annual art and architecture workshop near the town of
Grythyttan
Grythyttan is a locality situated in Hällefors Municipality, Örebro County, Sweden with 891 inhabitants in 2010. It is located between two lakes, Torrvarpen and Sör-Älgen. It is chiefly known in Sweden for the Grythyttan Gästgivargård (restau ...
in Sweden. He also teaches materials technologies at Nuova Accademia Belle Arti di Milano in Milan, Italy.
In 2008, Forte participated in the 11th International Architecture Exhibition of Venice, creating the installation ''Sleipnir Venexia''.
''
'' In 2010, he was again invited to participate in the International Architecture Exhibition of Venice and created the installation ''Sleipnir Convivalis''.
His ''
Sleipnir
In Norse mythology, Sleipnir (Old Norse: "slippy"Orchard (1997:151). or "the slipper"Kermode (1904:6).) is an eight-legged horse ridden by Odin. Sleipnir is attested in the ''Poetic Edda'', compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional ...
'' series is inspired by the legend of
Trojan horse
In Greek mythology, the Trojan Horse () was a wooden horse said to have been used by the Greeks during the Trojan War to enter the city of Troy and win the war. The Trojan Horse is not mentioned in Homer, Homer's ''Iliad'', with the poem ending ...
and the
Norse myth
Norse, Nordic, or Scandinavian mythology, is the body of myths belonging to the North Germanic peoples, stemming from Old Norse religion and continuing after the Christianization of Scandinavia as the Nordic folklore of the modern period. The ...
of
Odin
Odin (; from ) is a widely revered god in Norse mythology and Germanic paganism. Most surviving information on Odin comes from Norse mythology, but he figures prominently in the recorded history of Northern Europe. This includes the Roman Em ...
's eight-legged horse; it features sculptures that are up to tall.
Forte also participated in the XXI Triennale International Exhibition of Milan in 2016 with his zoomorphic work ''URSUS''.
Curator Beppe Finessi described Forte's process: "His whole life is a workshop. He is the veritable 'Craftsman' of the Italian architecture, both designer and builder. He doesn't need to talk to the workers or constantly see what they are doing. He does everything himself. His pencil is a saw, his AutoCAD is a welder. He makes everything he needs with his own hands, partly because it would be very difficult to explain to anyone else what's going on inside his complicated, visionary, fantastic head."
Forte became a member of the
Swedish Association of Architects in 2005 and was nominated for the
Yakov Chernikhov International Prize for young architects in 2010.
Personal life
Forte lives in Milan a former textile factory that he purchased in 1998.
The building is more than 100 years old. His brother, Lucio, is an artist who lives in an adjacent factory building.
Exhibitions
* 2007 – ''Hugin e Munin'', exhibition,
Milan
Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...
, Italy
* 2008 – ''Sleipnir BASTU'' opera, exhibition, AtelierFORTE, Milan, Italy
* 2008 – ''Yggdrasill Steneby'' opera, exhibition,
Dåls Långed, Sweden
* 2009 – ''Encelado'', exhibition, Gran Salone dei Planisferi, Milan, Italy
* 2009 – ''Arkizoic OBSESSIO'', exhibition,
Fortezza da Basso
Fortezza da Basso is a fort inserted in the fourteenth century walls of Florence. Its official name is the Fortress of Saint John the Baptist (Fortezza di San Giovanni Battista). In modern times it is home to numerous conferences, concerts and ...
,
Florence
Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025.
Florence ...
, Italy
* 2009 December – ''Sideropithecus Fortis, Affetti da cretinismo'' – ''Celebrating
Cesare Lombroso
Cesare Lombroso ( , ; ; born Ezechia Marco Lombroso; 6 November 1835 – 19 October 1909) was an Italian eugenicist, criminologist, phrenologist, physician, and founder of the Italian school of criminology. He is considered the founder of m ...
'' exhibition, Milan, Italy
* 2010 April – ''Ars Combinatoria'' – exhibition, SpazioRT, Milan, Italy
* 2010 April – ''OSPITI INASPETTATI''. ''Case di ieri, design di oggi'', exhibition at Casa Boschi di Stefano, Milan, Italy
* 2010 May – ''WOOD 2010'', exhibition at Virserum Art Museum
* 2010 July – ''Sleipnir Albus'' exhibition at Galleria Il Frantoio,
Capalbio,
Tuscany
Tuscany ( ; ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of 3,660,834 inhabitants as of 2025. The capital city is Florence.
Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, artistic legacy, and its in ...
, Italy
* 2010 August – ''Sleipnir Convivalis Quintus'', exhibition ''AILATI'',
Biennale di Venezia
The Venice Biennale ( ; ) is an international cultural exhibition hosted annually in Venice, Italy. There are two main components of the festival, known as the Art Biennale () and the Architecture Biennale (), which are held in alternating ye ...
,
Venice
Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...
, Italy
* 2010 September – ''Fafnir'', exhibition ''IL TESORO DI BOMISA'',
Triennale di Milano
The Triennale di Milano is a museum of art and design in the Parco Sempione in Milan, in Lombardy in northern Italy. It is housed in the , built between 1931 and 1933 to designs by Giovanni Muzio and financed by Antonio Bernocchi and his ...
, Milan, Italy
* 2013 – ''The Centuries Long Detail'' – Collective exhibit, Cheongju International Craft Biennale, South Korea
* 2013 – ''Semi-Equi'' – double solo exhibit, GAM Galleria d'arte moderna Genova Nervi,
Genoa
Genoa ( ; ; ) is a city in and the capital of the Italian region of Liguria, and the sixth-largest city in Italy. As of 2025, 563,947 people live within the city's administrative limits. While its metropolitan city has 818,651 inhabitan ...
, Italy
* 2014 – ''Sleipnir XXXIII'' – temporary installation,
Triennale di Milano
The Triennale di Milano is a museum of art and design in the Parco Sempione in Milan, in Lombardy in northern Italy. It is housed in the , built between 1931 and 1933 to designs by Giovanni Muzio and financed by Antonio Bernocchi and his ...
exhibition, Milan, Italy
* 2016 – ''URSUS'' – temporary installation – XXI Triennale,
Triennale di Milano
The Triennale di Milano is a museum of art and design in the Parco Sempione in Milan, in Lombardy in northern Italy. It is housed in the , built between 1931 and 1933 to designs by Giovanni Muzio and financed by Antonio Bernocchi and his ...
exhibition, Milan, Italy
* 2019 – ''ArkiZoic Project III 55249'' – solo exhibition, Francesco Zanuso Gallery, Milan, Italy
* 2022 – ''ArkiZoic Project XI 66301 –'' solo exhibition, Art Gallery, Milan, Italy
Works
* 1994 – Ekeberg sauna, Sweden
* 2006 – ''Spiv'', opera – StugaProject2006,
Grythyttan
Grythyttan is a locality situated in Hällefors Municipality, Örebro County, Sweden with 891 inhabitants in 2010. It is located between two lakes, Torrvarpen and Sör-Älgen. It is chiefly known in Sweden for the Grythyttan Gästgivargård (restau ...
, Sweden
* 2006 – Taenaris, opera – Milan, Italy
* 2007 – ''Spiken'', opera – StugaProject2007, Grythyttan, Sweden
* 2008 – ''Sleipnir TAVRINORVM'' opera – arsenale Cavalli, Turin, Italy
* 2008 – ''Sleipnir VENEXIA, XI'' – Biennale di architettura, Venice, Italy''
''
* 2008 – JulBock NABA, opera,
Nuova Accademia di Belle Arti
The Nuova Accademia di Belle Arti, "New Academy of Fine Arts", also known as NABA, is a private academy of fine art in Milan, in Lombardy in northern Italy. It has approximately 3000 students, some of whom are from abroad; it participates in t ...
, Milan, Italy
* 2008 – ''Sleipnir Spiken
''
* 2009 – ''Fenrir'', opera – Milan, Italy
* 2009 February – Foundation of ArkiZoic, Milan, Italy
* 2009 – Pliosaurus, Milan, Italy
* 2009 – ''Sleipnir Nuncius'' –
Vittoriale degli Italiani,
Gardone Riviera
Gardone Riviera ( Gardesano: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Brescia, in Lombardy. It is situated on the western shore of Lake Garda. It is one of I Borghi più belli d'Italia ("The most beautiful villages of Italy").
Twin towns
Gard ...
, Italy
* 2009 September – ''Drakkar Yggdrasill'' –
Grythyttan
Grythyttan is a locality situated in Hällefors Municipality, Örebro County, Sweden with 891 inhabitants in 2010. It is located between two lakes, Torrvarpen and Sör-Älgen. It is chiefly known in Sweden for the Grythyttan Gästgivargård (restau ...
, Sweden
* 2010 March – ''Birnam Wood'' – Piazza Sempione, 616 Fifth Avenue, New York City, New York, U.S.
* 2010 April – ''Sleipnir Trebuchet'' – Triennale Bovisa, Milan, Italy
* 2010 August – ''Sleipnir Ratatoskr'' –
Grythyttan
Grythyttan is a locality situated in Hällefors Municipality, Örebro County, Sweden with 891 inhabitants in 2010. It is located between two lakes, Torrvarpen and Sör-Älgen. It is chiefly known in Sweden for the Grythyttan Gästgivargård (restau ...
, Sweden
* 2011 January – ''Sleipnir Biologiska'' –
Biologiska Museet (Biological Museum),
Stockholm
Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...
, Sweden
* 2011 February – ''La Foresta di Sleipnir'' –
Rotonda della Besana, Milan, Italy
* 2011 April – ''Mammuthus Belli'' sculpture sauna''
''
* 2011 September – ''Sleipnir Ex Silva'' –
Polytechnic University of Milan
The Polytechnic University of Milan (, abbreviated as PoliMi) is a university in Milan, Italy. It is the largest technical university in the country, with about 40,000 enrolled students. The university offers undergraduate, graduate, and higher ...
, Milan, Italy
* 2011 November – Phoenix Turris, Turin, Italy
* 2011 – ''Asgard Turris Venti 829 Sculpture
''
* 2011 – ''Asgard Turris'' sculpture''
''
* 2011 – ''Phoenix'' sculpture''
''
* 2012 February – ''Sleipnir Lambrus'' – temporary installation,
Ventura Lambrate
Ventura Lambrate is an international design show, held annually in April in Milan, Italy.
Its sister shows, Ventura Interieur, is held biennial in October, in Courtray, Belgium, during Courtray Design Biennale Interieur and Ventura Berlin took pl ...
, Milan, Italy
* 2012 March – ''Huginn&Muninn'' Sauna–
Piacenza
Piacenza (; ; ) is a city and (municipality) in the Emilia-Romagna region of Northern Italy, and the capital of the province of Piacenza, eponymous province. As of 2022, Piacenza is the ninth largest city in the region by population, with more ...
, Italy
* 2012 April – ''Bois de Boulon'' – Missoni, Milan, Italy
* 2012 April – ''Lampada Flux III + HugMun II'' – Misiad Milano si Autoproduce, La Fabbrica del Vapore, Milan, Italy
* 2012 May – ''Eva-sioni'' – Mostra, Palazzo Vernazza,
Lecce
Lecce (; ) is a city in southern Italy and capital of the province of Lecce. It is on the Salentine Peninsula, at the heel of the Italian Peninsula, and is over two thousand years old.
Because of its rich Baroque architecture, Lecce is n ...
,
Apulia
Apulia ( ), also known by its Italian language, Italian name Puglia (), is a Regions of Italy, region of Italy, located in the Southern Italy, southern peninsular section of the country, bordering the Adriatic Sea to the east, the Strait of Ot ...
, Italy
* 2012 June – ''Sleipnir Thermarum'' – Terme del Bacucco,
Viterbo
Viterbo (; Central Italian, Viterbese: ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in the Lazio region of Italy, the Capital city, capital of the province of Viterbo.
It conquered and absorbed the neighboring town of Ferento (see Ferentium) in ...
,
Lazio
Lazio ( , ; ) or Latium ( , ; from Latium, the original Latin name, ) is one of the 20 Regions of Italy, administrative regions of Italy. Situated in the Central Italy, central peninsular section of the country, it has 5,714,882 inhabitants an ...
, Italy
* 2012 August – Sleipnir Automatum – Grythyttan, Sweden
* 2012 November – Huginn, Turin, Italy
* 2013 – ''Sleipnir Alea'' – temporary installation, ART.4,
Fossano
Fossano () is a town and ''comune'' of Piedmont, Northern Italy. It is the fourth largest town of the province of Cuneo, after Cuneo, Alba and Bra.
It lies on the main railway line from Turin to Cuneo and to Savona, and has a branch line to Mon ...
, Italy
* 2013 – ''Sleipnir Volta'' – temporary installation, Streetscape2,
Como
Como (, ; , or ; ) is a city and (municipality) in Lombardy, Italy. It is the administrative capital of the Province of Como. Nestled at the southwestern branch of the picturesque Lake Como, the city is a renowned tourist destination, ce ...
, Italy
* 2013 – ''Sleipnir Argus Junior'' – temporary installation, Trepponti di Comacchio,
Commacchio, Italy
* 2013 – ''Sleipnir Bok'' – Grythyttan, Sweden
* 2013 – ''Sleipnir Argus'' – Casa Museo Remo Brindisi, Lido di Spina,
Comacchio
Comacchio (; ) is a town and ''comune'' of Emilia Romagna, Italy, in the province of Ferrara, from the provincial capital Ferrara. It was founded about two thousand years ago; across its history it was first governed by the Exarchate of Ravenna, ...
, Italy
* 2013 – ''Sleipnir Drusi'' –
Free University of Bozen-Bolzano
The Free University of Bozen-Bolzano (Italian language, Italian: ''Libera Università di Bolzano'', German language, German: ''Freie Universität Bozen'', Ladin language, Ladin: ''Università Liedia de Bulsan'') is a university primarily loc ...
,
Bolzano
Bolzano ( ; ; or ) is the capital city of South Tyrol (officially the province of Bolzano), Northern Italy. With a population of 108,245, Bolzano is also by far the largest city in South Tyrol and the third largest in historical Tyrol. The ...
,
South Tyrol
South Tyrol ( , ; ; ), officially the Autonomous Province of Bolzano – South Tyrol, is an autonomous administrative division, autonomous provinces of Italy, province in northern Italy. Together with Trentino, South Tyrol forms the autonomo ...
,
Italy
Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
* 2013 – ''Sleipnir Steam'' – Fabbrica del Vapore, Milan, Italy
* 2013 – ''Castra Exemplorum'' – temporary installation, Fabbrica del Vapore, Milan, Italy
* 2014 – ''Sleipnir Meano'' – Borgo dei Creativi,
Meaño
Meaño is a municipality in the province of Pontevedra, in the autonomous community of Galicia, Spain. It belongs to the comarca of O Salnés
O Salnés is a ''Comarcas of Galicia, comarca'' in the Galicia (Spain), Galician Pontevedra (province ...
, Italy
* 2014 – ''Sleipnir Tidonis'' – CArD,
Pianello Val Tidone
Pianello Val Tidone ( Piacentino: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Piacenza in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about northwest of Bologna and about southwest of Piacenza.
Pianello Val Tidone borders the following ...
, Italy
* 2014 – ''Sleipnir Cine'' – temporary installation at Open,
Lido di Venezia
The Lido, or Venice Lido (), is an barrier island in the Venetian Lagoon, Northern Italy; it is home to about 20,400 residents. The Venice Film Festival takes place at the Lido in late August/early September.
Geography
The Lido island is o ...
, Italy
* 2014 – ''Sleipnir Spiken II'' – Grythyttan, Sweden
* 2014 – ''Sleipnir Park'' – temporary installation, Giardini Indro Montanelli, Milan, Italy
* 2014 – ''Harpago Salis'' – temporary installation, Magazzini del Sale, Venice, Italy
* 2014 – ''Sleipnir 1861'' – temporary installation, Piazza Carignano, Turin, Italy
* 2014 – ''Sleipnir Lúg'' – temporary installation, Lugano,
Canton Ticino
Ticino ( ), sometimes Tessin (), officially the Republic and Canton of Ticino or less formally the Canton of Ticino, is one of the 26 cantons forming the Swiss Confederation. It is composed of eight districts and its capital city is Bellinzona ...
, Switzerland
* 2015 – ''Turris Pythagorica'' – Södra Hyttan,
Hjulsjo,
Hällefors
Hällefors () is a locality and the seat of Hällefors Municipality, Örebro County, Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders N ...
, Sweden
* 2015 – ''Sleipnir Ciconiae'' –
Stary Bubel
Stary Bubel is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Janów Podlaski, within Biała Podlaska County, Lublin Voivodeship, in eastern Poland, close to the border with Belarus. It lies approximately north of Janów Podlaski, north of Bi ...
, Poland
* 2017 – ''Sleipnir XLV Ciconiae II 8737'' – north side of
Chiaravalle Abbey
The Abbey of Santa Maria di Rovegnano () is a Cistercian monastic complex in the ''comune'' of Milan, Lombardy, northern Italy. The '':wikt:borgo#Italian, borgo'' that has developed round the abbey was once an independent commune called Chiarava ...
, Milan, Italy
* 2017 – ''Turris Pithagorica II 14891''
* 2017 – ''Yggdrasill Triennale 13217''
* 2017 – ''Finis Extra Munch 11279''
* 2018 – ''Birnam Wood IV 35677'' –
Palazzo Sebelloni, Milan, Italy
* 2018 – ''Sleipnir XLVIII Laterna 27697'' –
Grythyttan
Grythyttan is a locality situated in Hällefors Municipality, Örebro County, Sweden with 891 inhabitants in 2010. It is located between two lakes, Torrvarpen and Sör-Älgen. It is chiefly known in Sweden for the Grythyttan Gästgivargård (restau ...
, Sweden
* 2018 – ''Sleipnir XLII Latemar 2797'' – Respirart Sculpture Park,
Trentino
Trentino (), officially the Autonomous Province of Trento (; ; ), is an Autonomous province#Italy, autonomous province of Italy in the Northern Italy, country's far north. Trentino and South Tyrol constitute the Regions of Italy, region of Tren ...
, Italy
* 2018 – ''ArkiZoic Project II 7297'' – Spazio Giovannoni, Milan, Italy
* 2020 – ''Finis Extra'' painting
* 2021 – ''Dvlightship II''
* 2022 – ''Yggdrasill II Arcimboldi''
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Forte, Duilio
1967 births
Living people
Italian people of Swedish descent
Polytechnic University of Milan alumni
Architects from Milan
20th-century Italian male artists
21st-century Italian male artists
20th-century Italian architects
21st-century Italian architects
Artists from Milan
Italian sculptors