If you're in the Northwest, don't miss the exhibition "Zoom: Italian Design and the Photography of Aldo and Marirosa Ballo" at the Bellvue Arts Museum (BAM) in Washington State. This gorgeous exhibition, which was organized by the Vitra Museum of Design in Germany and brought to Washington by Italian citizen Stefano Catalani the Director of Art, Craft & Design at the BAM, features the work of the famed Ballo photographers. This married couple captured Italian classic-design objects on film and helped project the Italian design sense of the second half of the nineteenth century to the world. In addition to roughly 300 photographs from the Studio Ballo, there are also more than 70 classic-design objects on display.

"Zoom" is a dual look at the objects themselves and the images that revealed these design masterpieces to the world. The photographs were taken for magazine covers, advertising campaigns and editorial features. The design on display includes well-known names such as Osvaldo Borsani (furniture) and Mario Botta (architecture). Museum goers can appreciate Studio Ballo's stark, sculptural approach to design photography while taking in the design piece itself.

The exhibit is another feather in the cap of the 2013 Year of Italian Culture and will run until June 16th and is not to miss if you find yourself in Bellvue. For more information, see the Seattle Times rave review of "Zoom"; for tickets and information click here.

by Mauro Battocchi