Osvaldo Borsani and Lucio Fontana - Design London Thursday, May 12, 2022 | Phillips

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  • Sculptural Expression 

     

    By Arch. Giampiero Bosoni, author of Osvaldo Borsani: Architect, Designer, Entrepreneur

     

    The years following the Second World War were a very prolific period for ABV (Arredamenti Borsani Varedo) which had by then passed directly into the creative hands of Osvaldo Borsani. The studio had increasing opportunities to design for important private and public commissions. It was a period during which Osvaldo Borsani intensified his work and nurtured friendships with a pioneering circle of artists: a successful choice which had already been adopted by his father Gaetano Borsani. 

     

    Under Osvaldo, this approach and partnership with artists became an ABV hallmark that distinguished the firm’s work. Starting from the design for Casa Gulinello (circa 1949), we begin to perceive elements of these collaborations and notice how creative contributions, in this case by Lucio Fontana (who had already been involved with villa Borsani, 1948) are integrated within ABV’s furnishings. This synergy went beyond paintings and sculptures such as the drawings on the pillar in the living room or the appliques above the bed. A fully-fledged integration between the furniture and artworks was underway.
     

    The present model table in the living room of Casa Gulinello, Milan, circa 1950
    © Archivio Osvaldo Borsani

     

    This concept is clearly embodied in present model side table, shown above in the living room of Casa Gulinello, where the vertical brass element supporting the glass top is wrapped in a waving cascade of wooden drapery painted in white, pink, and gold. The artistic collaboration is equally present in the room’s console, supported by a pair of painted wood winged and veiled cherubs. Overall, the Casa Gulinello project can be considered as a unique and refined example of creative intervention, centered around personalized pieces, and enriched by Fontana’s imaginative contributions. 

     

    This side table, with its strong réaction poétique, is certainly among the most expressive and surreal pieces conceived by Borsani in close collaboration with Fontana in the post-war period. The original plaster model of the wooden ribbon carving, as well as records of a variant of this model table made for Casa P., are held in the Osvaldo Borsani Archive. This model table was also presented at 1951 IX Triennale in Milan.

    • Provenance

      Casa P., Milan
      Aste Boetto, Genoa, 'An Italian Design Auction', 24 October 2011, lot 768
      Private collection, Rome
      Wright, Chicago, 'Important Design', 7 June 2012, lot 205
      Acquired from the above by the present owner

    • Literature

      Irene de Guttry and Maria Paola Maino, Il Mobile Italiano Degli Anni '40 e '50, Bari, 2010, p. 112
      Giampiero Bosoni, Osvaldo Borsani: Architect, Designer, Entrepreneur, Milan, 2018, pp. 363, 593

35

Rare side table, model no. 7303/2

circa 1950
Glass, painted and gilded wood, brass, marble.
62.4 cm (24 5/8 in.) high, 58.2 cm (22 7/8 in.) diameter
Produced by Arredamenti Borsani Varedo, Italy. Together with a certificate of expertise from the Osvaldo Borsani Archive.

Full Cataloguing

Estimate
£60,000 - 80,000 Ω♠

Sold for £75,600

Contact Specialist

Antonia King

Head of Sale, Design
+44 20 7901 7944

Antonia.King@phillips.com

Design

London Auction 12 May 2022