Desk Chair "47" by Franco Albini, Knoll International, 1949
View Similar Items
Desk Chair "47" by Franco Albini, Knoll International, 1949
About the Item
- Creator:Knoll (Manufacturer),Franco Albini (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 31.11 in (79 cm)Width: 20.28 in (51.5 cm)Depth: 24.02 in (61 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1949
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Berlin, DE
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU98311035320
Franco Albini
While working under the polymath Gio Ponti — arguably the most important figure in 20th-century Italian modernism — furniture designer Franco Albini nurtured a love for modern forms combined with traditional craft techniques.
Albini is widely known for working with organic materials such as rattan and cane for his chairs and other seating, but he also played a pivotal role in the Italian rationalist movement of the early 20th century, which saw architects and furniture makers applying a strict emphasis on geometry in their work. Rationalists drew on Ancient Roman architecture but rejected ornament, much in the way that Le Corbusier and celebrated Bauhaus figures such as Ludwig Mies van der Rohe had in their modernist furniture.
Albini received his degree in architecture from the Polytechnic University of Milan in 1929, and, in 1931, he founded his practice in Milan, where he tackled workers’ housing and other reconstruction projects. A gifted urban planner, he also developed the Palazzo Bianco, Palazzo Rosso and Tesoro di San Lorenzo museums in Genoa. While Albini is revered for his Margherita chair — a Triennale Milano award winner created for Bonacina in 1951 — he also collaborated with manufacturers Poggi and Cassina in the 1940s on seating, tables and more that embodied his artistic vision. Of that mid-century work, the one piece that perhaps best captures this vision is the iconic Luisa chair.
With its cherry red upholstery and sinuous wooden legs that seem to float aboveground, the Luisa is a genuine masterpiece. It is also a testament to Albini’s perfectionism, as it endured several prototypes — including one made by Knoll in the late 1940s — and took approximately 15 years to design. Poggi launched the final version of the armchair in 1955, earning Albini the prestigious Compasso d’Oro from Italy’s Association for Industrial Design. It is produced today by Cassina. Albini named the chair for someone who likely saw the process firsthand: his personal secretary of two decades, Luisa Colombini.
Find vintage Franco Albini furniture on 1stDibs.
Knoll
As a company that produced many of the most famous and iconic furniture designs of the 20th century, Knoll was a chief influence in the rise of modern design in the United States. Led by Florence Knoll, the firm would draw stellar talents such as Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Eero Saarinen into its compass. Their work would help change the face of the American home and office.
The company was formed in 1938 by the German immigrant Hans Knoll. He first worked with his fellow ex-pat, the Danish designer Jens Risom, who created furniture with flowing lines made of wood. While Risom served in World War II, in 1943 Knoll met his future wife, Florence Schust. She had studied and worked with eminent emigré leaders of the Bauhaus, including Mies, Walter Gropius and Marcel Breuer. She won Knoll over with Bauhaus notions of industrial arts, and an aesthetic that featured flat and tubular metal frames and angular forms. When Hans died in a car crash in 1955, Florence Knoll was appointed head of the company. It was as much through her holistic approach to design — a core division of the firm was dedicated to planning office systems — as Knoll's mid-century modern furnishings themselves that she brought about the sleek and efficient transformation of the American workplace.
Today, classic Knoll furnishings remain staples of modern design collections and decor. A history of modern design is written in pieces such as the elegant Barcelona chair — created by Mies and Lilly Reich — Saarinen’s pedestal Tulip chair, Breuer’s tubular steel Wassily lounge chair and the grid-patterned Diamond chair by Harry Bertoia.
As you can see from the collection of these designs and other vintage Knoll dining chairs, sofas and tables on 1stDibs, this manufacturer's offerings have become timeless emblems of the progressive spirit and sleek sophistication of the best of modernism.
- Franco Albini Chair "47", 1949By Franco AlbiniLocated in Berlin, DEElegant chair model "47" with renewed high quality woolen fabric, designed by Franco Albini in 1949 and manufactured by Knoll international, Belgium. Very elegant and rational design...Category
Vintage 1940s European Modern Chairs
MaterialsSteel
- Ceiling Lamp by Franco Albini, 1955By Franco Albini, Murano 5Located in Berlin, DEPendant made of hand blown opal and flashed glass in warm gray. Metal mounting. Design: Venini Murano Dimensions: H. 23cm, ø 24,5cm Manufacturer: Venini Murano.Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
MaterialsMetal
- Dining Room Table / Franco Albini / 1951By Franco AlbiniLocated in Berlin, DEThe unusual feature of this table is the solid wooden top. This graceful table by Italian architect and designer Franco Albini was designed in 1951. The model, known as 'TL2', is ma...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Tables
MaterialsIron
- Table "Urn" by Robert Venturi, Knoll International, USA, 1984By Knoll, Roberto VenturaLocated in Berlin, DETable "Urn" by Robert Venturi, Knoll International, USA, 1984.´ made of laminate over plywood with chrome-plated steel elements, urn shaped sculptural structure. This rare and s...Category
Vintage 1980s American Modern Desks and Writing Tables
MaterialsChrome
- Chair by Gianfranco Frattini, 1960By Cassina, Gianfranco FrattiniLocated in Berlin, DEThis extraordinary chair was designed by Gianfranco Frattini for Cassina 1960. The construction of the 'Model 904' is made of solid walnut wood. The seat and back are upholstered. Th...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsWool, Walnut
- Chair 'PK 9' by Poul Kjaerholm, Fritz Hansen, Steel, Leather, 1960By Fritz Hansen, Poul KjærholmLocated in Berlin, DEThis chair is a real Classic midcentury design by Poul Kjaerholm. It's construction is made of spring steel, the seating is covered with burgundy red leather. Labeled Fritz Hansen. ...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Modern Chairs
MaterialsSteel
- Early Franco Albini Pair of Oak "Luisa"/ N°48 Dining Chair by Knoll, ca. 1949By Franco AlbiniLocated in Geneva, CHEarly pair of black naugahyde and oak N°48 chair by Franco Albini produced by Knoll between 1948 and 1952. Good condition, 2 little damages on corners of the seat cushion ( picture ...Category
Vintage 1940s Italian Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsNaugahyde, Oak
- Franco Albini, "Luisa" Lounge Chairs 48, Maple and Fabric, Knoll, 1949By Knoll, Franco AlbiniLocated in High Point, NCA pair of "Luisa" chairs in maple and cream fabric, model 48, designed by Franco Albini and produced by Knoll Associates between 1949 and 1955, Italy-USA.Category
Vintage 1940s Italian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Maple
- Franco Albini, "Luisa" Lounge Chair 48, Maple And Fabric, Knoll, 1949By Franco Albini, KnollLocated in High Point, NCA maple and cream fabric "Luisa" chair, model 48, designed by Franco Albini and produced by Knoll Associates between 1949 and 1955, Italy-USA.Category
Vintage 1940s Italian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Maple
- FRANCO ALBINI for POGGI Folding chairBy Franco Albini, PoggiLocated in Baranzate, ITFolding chair with solid wood frame. Seat and backrest made of plywood. Prod. Poggi, Italy, 1952 Bibliography Exhibition catalog, Franco Albini & Franca Helg Design, April 30, 2009.Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsWood
- Franco Albini Lounge Chair for Knoll, Model 49By Knoll, Franco AlbiniLocated in New York, NYLounge chair, model 49, designed by Franco Albini and produced by Knoll from 1949 until about 1967. This example circa 1950’s. Slender walnut frame with distinctive wrap-around arms, offset and angled rear legs, and steel fasteners. The harder-to-find lounge version of this iconic design. Pictured below in the 1950 Knoll Index...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsSteel
- Franco Albini Luisa Chair, Wood and Fabric by CassinaBy Franco Albini, CassinaLocated in Barcelona, BarcelonaChair designed by Franco Albini in 1953. Relaunched in 2013. Manufactured by Cassina in Italy. The small armchair, dubbed Luisa, is the fruit of a fifteen-year process of exploration, focused on creating an archetype of the basic elements of a chair, and its potential uses within the home. A idea-based design, where Franco Albini expressed the concept of “substance in form”, increasing the volume of the wooden parts where they join with others. Following various enhancements, the definitive version of the chair was awarded the prestigious Compasso D’Oro prize by the Italian Industrial Design Association (Associazione per il Disegno Industriale/ADI). The frame represents a synthesis where the seat and the back are two geometric planes suspended on an understated wood structure, the sides reminiscent of trestles. Luisa is a timeless piece, the outcome of skill, both in terms of technique and of materials. This world exclusive Cassina re-issue, has been made possible thanks to the company’s extraordinary...Category
2010s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Wood
$2,874 Sale Price / item20% Off
Recently Viewed
View AllRead More
The 21 Most Popular Mid-Century Modern Chairs
You know the designs, now get the stories about how they came to be.
Jochum Rodgers Has Long Brought the Best of 20th-Century Design to Berlin and Beyond
Opened by Hans-Peter Jochum some 40 years ago, the pioneering gallery specializes in mid-century gems but also spotlights contemporary pieces by European artists and makers.