Born in Ticino, she studied scenography in Switzerland and Italy. She graduated in scenography from the Brera Academy of Fine Arts in 1976 and began working with the sculptor Alik Cavaliere, and later with Gae Aulenti in theatre and on the Gare D'Orsay project. In 1984 she opened her own studio in Milan and collaborated with many directors: Ronconi, Avogadro, Barzini, Binasco, Branciaroli, Brockhaus, Cavani, Lievi, Malosti, Martone, Muscato, Rifici, Shammah, Sokurov, with the choreographers Erzalow, Yang Jiang, and with The George Balanchine Trust. The Margherita Palli studio also deals with installation projects for art exhibitions and events. These projects include W. Women in Italian Design, Design Museum 9th edition at Triennale Milano; Corridoio Rosso (Red Corridor) at the 23rd Triennale di Milano; Il Meraviglioso Mondo della Natura (The Wonderful World of Nature) at Palazzo Reale; Opera: Il Palcoscenico della Società (The Stage of Society), at Palazzo del Governatore, as part of Parma Italian Capital of Culture 2021; Ulysses' Dream for the Carmignac Foundation; Storia della Notte e Destino delle Comete (History of Night and Destiny of the Comets) at the Italian Pavilion, 59th International Art Exhibition – Venice Biennale, and Fantasmagoria Callas at the Teatro alla Scala Museum. She has often collaborated with her husband the architect Italo Rota’s studio. She has won many awards, including the UBU Prize, the Abbiati Prize, the Gassman Prize, the ETI Prize, the Olimpici del Teatro Prize, the Associazione Nazionale dei Critici di Teatro Prize, and the 2015 Swiss Theatre Award. In 2007 she was included in the Guinness World Records for the world's largest wall of screens. Since 1991 she has devoted herself to teaching: Advisor Leader of the three-year course in Scenography at the NABA Nuova Accademia di Belle Arti Milano NABA; Professor of Scenography at the Academy of Architecture at the Università della Svizzera Italiana in Mendrisio, Professor at the IUAV University of Venice and at the Politecnico di Milano; and has also been invited to give lectures as part of the museography course at the Catholic University in Milan. Since 2024 she has been a non-resident correspondent member of the Istituto Veneto di Scienze, Lettere ed Arti.
Ph. Masiar Pasquali
