Black Leather 'CAB' Chairs by Mario Bellini for Cassina
About the Item
- Creator:Mario Bellini (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 32 in (81.28 cm)Width: 18 in (45.72 cm)Depth: 18 in (45.72 cm)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:1980-1989
- Date of Manufacture:1980s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Beverly Hills, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU80807400073
Mario Bellini
Milan-born architect and designer Mario Bellini just may be the closest thing to a modern-day Renaissance man: His creative output spans genres, from electronics to furniture to architecture to cars, comprising iconic designs in each. He has been the recipient of multiple prestigious Compasso d’Oro design awards, and more than 20 of his works are in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art.
Born in 1935, Bellini studied architecture at the Polytechnic University of Milan before founding his own firm in his native city in the early 1960s. He soon branched out beyond architecture, however, first for the tech manufacturer Olivetti, where he served as chief industrial design consultant from 1963 to 1991. During that time, Bellini oversaw the design of some of Olivetti’s most popular typewriters.
His penchant for electronic design didn’t stop there: Bellini also designed cameras for Fuji, televisions for Brionvega and a slew of audio devices for Yamaha, then served as design consultant for Renault and devised the interior of the 1980 Lancia Trevi for Fiat. Meanwhile, his architecture work spans continents, including such modern gems as the Museum of Islamic Arts at the Louvre, the National Gallery of Victoria extension in Melbourne, the Dubai Creek Complex and the Milan Convention Centre in his hometown.
And then there’s the furniture: Over the last 70 years, Bellini has designed office furniture for Vitra; lamps for Artemide, Erco and FLOS; porcelain for Rosenthal and long-admired sofas and other seating for Kartell, Natuzzi, B&B Italia, Cassina and more.
His oft-imitated 1977 Cab chair for Cassina, comprising 16 individual pieces of saddle leather that create a “skin” over a minimal metal frame, remains one of the manufacturer’s best sellers today. His pudgy-legged, round tables for Cassina foreshadow Faye Toogood’s widely loved Roly Poly line. His postmodern Summa armchairs for Kartell, as well as his elegant Chiara floor lamp, still lure collectors on vintage furniture websites.
Bellini’s most famous contribution to furniture design, though, may be his 1970 Camaleonda sofa for B&B Italia (then C&B Italia). An entrant to the 1972 MoMA show “Italy: The New Domestic Landscape,” the seat takes its name from the Italian words for chameleon and wave. Its bulbous, modular form makes it infinitely flexible. The sofa was a runaway hit at the show and, once discontinued, remained so popular among vintage dealers that B&B Italia reissued it in 2020 with all recycled materials and interchangeable seat covers. “Of all the objects I have designed, Camaleonda is perhaps the best in terms of its sense of freedom,” Bellini said.
Browse an expansive collection of Mario Bellini furniture — including dining tables, armchairs, mid-century sofas and more — today on 1stDibs.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: West Hollywood, CA
- Return PolicyThis item cannot be returned.
- Mario Bellini "Cab" ChairsBy Mario BelliniLocated in Beverly Hills, CAClassic leather cab chairs by Mario Bellini for Cassina. Wonderful patina to black leather. Rare set of 10 available - Priced as a setCategory
Vintage 1980s Italian Chairs
MaterialsLeather
- Mario Bellini "Cab" ChairsBy Mario BelliniLocated in Beverly Hills, CAClassic leather cab chairs by Mario Bellini for Cassina in cognac reddish leather. Wonderful patina. Set of four available. Priced individually.Category
Vintage 1980s Italian Chairs
MaterialsLeather
- Paolo Buffa Attributed ChairsBy Paolo BuffaLocated in Beverly Hills, CAPair of woven chairs attributed to Paolo Buffa - Italy, 1940s Great angular shaped wood frame and legs with original straw seat and back. Spi...Category
Vintage 1940s Italian Armchairs
MaterialsStraw, Walnut
- Jacques Adnet Arm ChairBy Jacques AdnetLocated in Beverly Hills, CARare Jacques Adnet Arm Chair Signature saddle stitched leather over heavy steel with deep chocolate seat and back Floating back cushion is attached with unique saddle stitched clips...Category
Vintage 1940s French Side Chairs
MaterialsSteel
- French Carved Dining ChairLocated in Beverly Hills, CAUnique intricately carved dining chairs with heads in different shapes Sold individually. Great as a corner chair!Category
Vintage 1950s French Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsOak
- Sculptural Elm Wood ChairLocated in Beverly Hills, CABeautiful sculptural solid elm wood chair with brutalist carved tripod legs and hourglass shaped back. Thick solid seat with gorgeous patina throughout.Category
Vintage 1950s French Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsElm
- 10 Mario Bellini CAB 413 Armchairs in Black Leather for Cassina, 1980s ItalyBy Mario Bellini, CassinaLocated in Grand Cayman, KYSet of 10 Mario Bellini CAB 413 chairs, made by Cassina. Flexible steel frame covered with a skin of high quality vintage black saddle leather. The chairs, which were already in ve...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsLeather
- Mario Bellini Cab Lounge Chair for CassinaBy Mario Bellini, CassinaLocated in Los Angeles, CAThis iconic chair designed by Mario Bellini for Cassina c.1970s, Italy, features the original natural toned saddle leather which is wrapped atop a steel frame. The seat has a rounded...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsSteel
- Mario Bellini Cab Arm Chair for CassinaBy Cassina, Mario BelliniLocated in Los Angeles, CAThis iconic chair designed by Mario Bellini for Cassina c.1970s, Italy, features the original deep red saddle leather which is wrapped atop a steel frame. The back legs feature a bla...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsSteel
- Set of two black leather Cab 413 Chairs by Mario Bellini for CassinaBy Cassina, Mario BelliniLocated in amstelveen, NLSet of 2 Cassina "Cab" 413 dining room chairs in black saddle leather. Designed by Mario Bellini and manufactured by Cassina in Italy. These chairs are 1980s edition. The leather co...Category
Vintage 1980s Italian Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs
MaterialsLeather
- CAB Chairs by Mario Bellini for Cassina, Set of 6By Mario Bellini, CassinaLocated in Rivoli, ITMario Bellini 412 "CAB" dining chairs for Cassina, bordeaux leather, Italy, 1978, set of six. Very good conditions One of the most iconic Bellini's creations, "CAB" is the world’s first free-standing cowhide design chair, informed by the relationship between the skeleton and the skin; an authentic example of production excellence that requires multiple stages of artisan workmanship to create a trendy tailored-to-fit object. The upholstery consists of sixteen pieces of saddle leather. Individually die-cut, they then undergo fourteen discrete procedures, again by hand. The pieces are sewn together only when their outer edges have been trimmed to ensure a perfect fit. Once assembled, the cover is attached to the chair’s steel skeleton and held in place by means of a zipper fastening, as in a bespoke tailored...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsMetal
- Mario Bellini 413 "CAB" Chair for Cassina in Hazelnut LeatherBy Cassina, Mario BelliniLocated in Dallas, TXMario Bellini for Cassina model 'CAB 413', leather, Italy, designed in 1979 The iconic ‘CAB’ chairs were designed by Mario Bellini in 1979. Conceptually new was the way Bellini uses...Category
20th Century Italian Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsLeather, Plastic