The 1960s in Italy were a period of vital rebirth and profound social changes. Ico Parisi was a conscious witness of this and became aware of his role in the ongoing radical lifestyle transformations. He designed new homes and holiday villas with a simple compositional scheme yet ennobled by the presence of strong artistic interventions. On the moraine hills around Lake Como, he created a villa with eaves and sculptural gargoyles designed by his sculptor friend Francesco Somaini.
Parisi also designed the villa’s interior, entirely in line with the new ideas of living which required simplicity, flexibility, and functionality. The predominant design element was undoubtedly the significant colour that strongly emerged on every compositional aspect. Amongst the bespoke furnishings were a table with bright pink legs and a glass top, a striking chair upholstered in a vibrant pink fabric, and a set of four green and black stools, all sold at Phillips in May 2022. The present lot comes from this same interior. The colours throughout the villa were glossy, uniform, intense, bold and sometimes even unsettling. They were chosen by the great interior designer that was Ico’s wife, Luisa Parisi, who knew how to purposefully complete her husband’s ideas with her 'touch' of perfection.
By Roberta Lietti, Curator and Archivist at the Archivio del Design di Ico Parisi.
Provenance
Private collection, Como, commissioned directly from the designer, 1960s
Literature
Roberta Lietti, Ico Parisi: Catalogue Raisonné, 1936-1960, Milan, 2017, pp. 385, 431 for a similar example
Catalogue Essay
Phillips wishes to thank Roberta Lietti of the Archivio del Design di Ico Parisi for her assistance in cataloguing the present lot.
circa 1966 Painted veneered wood, chestnut-veneered wood, glass, steel. 74.5 x 335.6 x 59.9 cm (29 3/8 x 132 1/8 x 23 5/8 in.) Manufactured by Brugnoli Mobili, Cantù, Italy. Together with a certificate of authenticity from the Archivio del Design di Ico Parisi.