Joe Colombo - Design London Tuesday, September 20, 2016 | Phillips

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  • Provenance

    Private collection, Rome

  • Literature

    'New Italian Design', Domus, no. 432, November 1965, pp. 28, 31
    Giuliana Gramigna, Repertorio 1950/1980, Milan, 1985, p. 224
    Mateo Kries, Joe Colombo Inventing the Future, exh. cat., Vitra Design Museum, Weil am Rhein, 2005, p. 168, fig. 143 for a drawing, p. 169, fig. 146

  • Catalogue Essay

    One of Joe Colombo’s first examples of freestanding furniture units, Personal Container, is an excellent representation of the architect’s intentions in redefining space according to a modern lifestyle. The variety of functions required for such complex living drove him to challenge the relationship between objects, which he systematically laid out in a self-contained space.

    Personal Container includes its own electrical system which supports a lamp, a radio and a vinyl record player. The unit, which can be folded to facilitate transport or used as a screen, is also equipped with a pipe rack, an ashtray, a bookcase, a disc holder and a drinks cabinet.

    Another example of the present model Personal Container is included in the permanent collection of the Vitra Design Museum, Weil am Rhein.

254

Rare 'Personal Container'

circa 1965
Walnut-veneered wood, walnut, brushed aluminium, felt.
Open: 180.8 x 217 x 76 cm (71 1/8 x 85 3/8 x 29 7/8 in.)
Closed: 181 x 82.3 x 46.5 cm (71 1/4 x 32 3/8 x 18 1/4 in.)

Manufactured by Arflex, Milan, Italy.

Estimate
£12,000 - 18,000 

Sold for £18,750

Contact Specialist
Madalena Horta e Costa
Head of Sale
+44 20 7318 4019

Design

London Auction 21 September 2016