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The “Arco” lamp, designed in 1962 by the Castiglioni brothers for Flos, the “Vespa” scooter by Piaggio, the “Olivetti Valentin” typewriter by Olivetti, the lip-shaped “Bocca” sofa by Studio 65 and the “Tre Pezzi” chair by Vittoriano Viganó are still indispensable today. What they all have in common is that they ushered in a whole new era of design, indeed a new way of life. The end of the Second World War meant in concrete terms, combining rational ergonomics with playful details, innovative new shapes and loud colors. Design should shake things up, bring joy and at the same time be able to provide domestic comfort. Viganó’s “Tre Pezzi”, for example, consisted of just three parts – two armrests and a seat. It was easy to assemble, tailored to the shape of the body and dressed in bright red and orange. “Modernity lies in the ability to work three parts with just a few screws to create an artistic and elegant armchair,” says Sammicheli. “In the ability to model the wood of this veneer. That was completely new. And to achieve all of that at a time when everything was still in ruins.” In retrospect, the time had not yet come for modernity – and yet it prevailed and continues to influence design aficionados to this day. An Arte documentary now sheds light on the secret of the success of modern Italian design.
Provocative and lascivious: The “Bocca” sofa by Studio 65 follows the shape of red lips and is still considered an icon of Italian radical design.
Federico Manusardi
A New Beginning Between Rationalism and Eccentricity
From 1947, vehicle manufacturers such as Piaggio began experimenting with new materials such as rubber and foam. In 1951, the latter was used in the first upholstered furniture, such as Marco Zanuso’s “Lady” armchair. In the same year, creative minds of various stripes, such as artist Lucio Fontana, architect Le Corbusier and engineer Carlo Mollino, met at the Triennale in Milan, which today houses Italian design. These encounters created an atmosphere in which it was possible to create new – and sometimes crazy – things. “The theme of paradox, irony, playfulness has always impressed me,” says Stefano Boeri, architect and president of the Triennale de Milan. “It is a lifeblood of the Bauhaus movement. The only difference is that here there is the paradox of sometimes facing challenges that go beyond the dimension of the plausible.” This is how play is ultimately created, which even questions the principles of functionality and sometimes even goes beyond them. This is demonstrated by Gio Ponti’s “Superleggera” chair, which he designed so that it could be lifted with just one finger. Or the “Arco” lamp by the Castiglionis mentioned at the beginning, which brought together three completely different, even opposing types of material that were in competition with each other, or so the idea went. In the 26-minute documentary “Italomodern” , which is available in the Arte media library, Stefanie Appel explores exactly this, explains how the Salone del Mobile came about and much more.
“The history of Italian design is a story of encounters.”
Stefano Boeri, architect and president of the Triennale de Milan
Georgia Melocotoni
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