Franco Albini and Ezio Sgrelli - Design New York Thursday, June 6, 2019 | Phillips

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  • Provenance

    Private collection, Rome

  • Literature

    Giuliana Gramigna, Repertorio del Design Italiano 1950-1980, Volume 1, Turin, 2003, p. 24
    Giampiero Bosoni and Federico Bucci, Il design e gli interni di Franco Albini, Milan, 2016, pp. 69, 99
    Giovanna Vitali, ed., Franco Albini: La continuità di un segno, Milan, 2017, pp. 72-73

  • Catalogue Essay

    The Gala armchair was designed in 1951 by Franco Albini and Ezio Sgrelli for the crafts and small industries organization's section at the IX Milan Triennale. The presentation was a collection of furniture for the department store La Rinascente. The two designers worked with Vittorio Bonacina & C., a company founded in the nineteenth century specializing in rattan furniture, to create a distinctive design that combined readily available raw materials with traditional craftsmanship. Inspired by the basket-making techniques of southern Italy, Albini and Sgrelli exploited the elasticity of the rattan and cane to shape the elegant curves of the chair. Designed between 1951 and 1952, the present armchair is a second variation of the Gala model featuring an adjustable seat which enables the chair to adjust to a reclined position.

12

Pair of adjustable "Gala" armchairs

circa 1951
Stained rattan, Indian cane.
Each: 38 1/4 x 34 1/2 x 37 in. (97.2 x 87.6 x 94 cm)
Manufactured by Vittorio Bonacina & C., Como, Italy.

Estimate
$6,000 - 8,000 

Sold for $16,250

Contact Specialist

DesignNewYork@phillips.com
+1 212 940 1268

Design

New York Auction 6 June 2019