Italian modern wooden bookcase Nuvola Rossa Vico Magistretti for Cassina, 1980s
About the Item
- Creator:Cassina (Manufacturer),Vico Magistretti (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 75.6 in (192 cm)Width: 39.38 in (100 cm)Depth: 15.56 in (39.5 cm)
- Style:Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:1980-1989
- Date of Manufacture:1980s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Good condition, with signs of use and age scattered on the structure.
- Seller Location:MIlano, IT
- Reference Number:
Vico Magistretti
As one of the founding fathers of modern Italian design, prolific architect and industrial designer Ludovico Magistretti (known by his nickname Vico) was guided by his philosophy, “There is no excuse for bad design.” His architectural projects are widely revered, and an ingenious meld of form and function can be found in his stylish and deceptively simple table lamps, sofas, armchairs and other mid-century furnishings.
Born in Milan, Magistretti followed in the footsteps of his father and grandfather (both architects) to study architecture at the Polytechnic University of Milan. At the outbreak of World War II, he fled to Switzerland, and it was there he met his role model and mentor, renowned humanist architect Ernesto Nathan Rogers. Magistretti was inspired by Rogers’s vision to revive postwar Italy, and they collaborated on several reconstruction projects. Among Magistretti’s first architectural designs is a “poetic” round church, which he created for the QT8, an experimental Milanese neighborhood.
When Magistretti returned to Milan in 1945, he worked at his father’s architectural firm. It wasn’t until the early 1950s that he expanded his talents into design while working with furniture artisans.
In the 1960s, Magistretti began his 30-year working relationship with famed entrepreneur Cesare Cassina of the Cassina furniture manufacturing company. In their design approach, the two men shared a vision of the relationship between modernity and tradition and enjoyed a close bond (Magistretti designed Cassina’s luxurious villa in 1965). However, their friendship was not without contention.
Legend has it that upon seeing the prototype for Magistretti’s Maralunga sofa, Cassina hated it so much that he punched it, breaking the back of the sofa, which crumpled into itself.
“Right, great, it looks perfect to me like that,” an unfazed Magistretti allegedly responded, and the Maralunga’s slumped, adjustable-height backrest was born. Incidentally, the Maralunga sofa won Italy’s Compasso d’Oro award as did his Eclisse lamp for Artemide and his Atollo lamp for Oluce.
Magistretti died in 2006, but his designs live on in galleries, museums and private residences and offices around the world.
Find a range of vintage Vico Magistretti furniture and lighting on 1stDibs.
Cassina
Furniture manufacturer Cassina is a prolific design house for more reasons than one: It not only owns the licenses to an exquisite collection of iconic chairs, sofas, tables and other pieces from the 20th and 21st centuries but also produces original works that are characterized by innovation and the finest Italian craftsmanship.
Cassina’s illustrious legacy includes being one of the first companies to bring industrial design to Italy in the 1950s. Founded in 1927 in Meda, Italy, by brothers Cesare and Umberto Cassina, the Italian manufacturing giant originally specialized in bespoke woodworking. In nearly a century since its founding, the company has shown incredible foresight about design trends and the evolution of technology.
In 1964, Cassina signed an exclusive licensing agreement to manufacture furniture by Le Corbusier and his collaborators — such as the LC4 chaise longue made with trailblazing French modernist Charlotte Perriand and Pierre Jeanneret — a move that would shape the future of the company. Cassina’s I Maestri collection is an ongoing initiative to restyle landmark designs from the 20th century, such as pieces by Gerrit Rietveld (the Red and Blue armchair from 1918), Charles Rennie Mackintosh, Erik Gunnar Asplund, Franco Albini and Frank Lloyd Wright. The company preserves the intentions and original styles of their designs but adds updated techniques, materials and processes — rendering them the best possible combination of past, present and future. The brand has also worked with contemporary icons like Zaha Hadid, Gio Ponti and Philippe Starck.
Cassina’s original designs are cutting-edge as well. They include pieces for everyday use, the development of which is guided by comfort and the marriage of Italian craftsmanship with industrial technology.
Some of Cassina’s pieces, both from its contemporary and I Maestri collections, can be found in the collections of museums like the Museum of Modern Art and the Vitra Design Museum. In 2014, the company became part of Haworth in its acquisition of Italian furniture group Poltrona Frau, and in 2015, Spanish designer Patricia Urquiola joined Cassina as its art director, leading the brand into its next century of inventive style.
Find a collection of new and vintage Cassina furniture on 1stDibs.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Milano, Italy
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 2 days of delivery.
- Italian modern brown sofas Maralunga by Vico Magistretti for Cassina, 1973By Vico Magistretti, CassinaLocated in MIlano, ITItalian modern brown sofas Maralunga by Vico Magistretti for Cassina, 1973 Pair of sofas two-seater mod. Maralunga. They are equipped wit...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Modern Sofas
MaterialsMetal
- Italian modern black leather pouf Maralunga Vico Magistretti for Cassina, 1970sBy Cassina, Vico MagistrettiLocated in MIlano, ITItalian modern Black leather pouf Maralunga Vico Magistretti for Cassina, 1970s Pouf mod. Maralunga with rectangular base entirely in black leather. The seat is made up of a padded c...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Modern Ottomans and Poufs
MaterialsLeather, Plastic
- Italian mid-century modern Chair Carimate by Vico Magistretti for Cassina, 1970sBy Cassina, Vico MagistrettiLocated in MIlano, ITItalian mid-century modern Chair Carimate by Vico Magistretti for Cassina, 1970s Chair mod. Carimate in white lacquered wood with glossy finish and seat, padded and covered in red f...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Wood
- Italian mid-century modern chairs 122 by Vico Magistretti for Cassina, 1960sBy Cassina, Vico MagistrettiLocated in MIlano, ITItalian mid-century modern chairs 122 by Vico Magistretti for Cassina, 1960s Set of four chairs mod. 122 with brown leather seat. The structure is entirely made of wood, the backrest...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsLeather, Wood
- Italian modern Irregular wooden folding floor wall bookcase by Pool Shop, 1980sLocated in MIlano, ITItalian modern Irregular wooden folding floor and wall bookcase by Pool Shop, 1980s Irregularly shaped wooden folding bookcase with 11 square compartments a...Category
Vintage 1980s Italian Modern Bookcases
MaterialsWood
- Italian Modern Colored Solid Wood Bookcase, 1980sLocated in MIlano, ITItalian modern colored solid wood bookcase, 1980s Solid wood bookcase painted in black, yellow, blue and red. In perfect condition. Measures: 17...Category
Vintage 1980s Italian Mid-Century Modern Bookcases
MaterialsWood
- Vico Magistretti Bookcase Nuvola Rossa for Cassina, Italy, newBy Cassina, Vico MagistrettiLocated in Berlin, DEPrices vary dependent on the chosen material. Please get in touch. Available in: LACQUERED RED BEECHWOOD LACQUERED WHITE BEECHWOOD LACQUERED BLACK BEECHWOOD NATURAL BEECHWOOD AMERICAN WALNUT Magistretti designed this folding bookcase with its clean, modern lines that can be used on a wall or as a room divider, freely combining more than one unit, depending on the space available...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Mid-Century Modern Bookcases
MaterialsWood
- Libreria Nuvola Rossa di Vico Magistretti per cassina anni 80By Vico Magistretti, CassinaLocated in Milano, MIVico Magistretti progetta Nuvola Rossa nel 1977, una libreria pieghevole dalle linee essenziali e moderne, utilizzabile a parete o come elemento divisorio accostando liberamente più ...Category
Late 20th Century Italian Bookcases
MaterialsWood
- Modern White Lacquer Bookcase by Piero Lissoni for Cassina ItalyBy CassinaLocated in LOS ANGELES, CAPRICED EACH! Modern White Lacquer Bookcase by Piero Lissoni for Cassina Italy. This listing is for one etagere but we actually have two available.Category
1990s Modern Bookcases
MaterialsLacquer
- Franco Albini Veliero Bookcase for Cassina, Italy, newBy Cassina, Franco AlbiniLocated in Berlin, DEThe price given applies to the piece as seen in the first picture. Prices vary dependent on the chosen material. The shelf is available in natural ashwood or black stained ashwood wi...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Mid-Century Modern Bookcases
MaterialsMetal
- Franco Albini Modular Bookcase "Infinito" for Cassina, Italy, newBy Cassina, Franco AlbiniLocated in Berlin, DEThe price given applies to the bookcase as shown in the first picture. Prices vary dependent on the color, size and material. Modular Bookcase designed by Franco Albini, relaunched in 2008. Manufactured by Cassina in Italy. An extremely flexible bookcase, with myriad modular options, suited to being against a wall or as a room partition...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Mid-Century Modern Bookcases
MaterialsWood
- Franco Albini Bookcase Infinito Wall for Cassina, Italy, newBy Cassina, Franco AlbiniLocated in Berlin, DEPrices vary dependent on the chosen size and material. Available in: natural ash, black stained ash, American walnut. Different elements and sizes of the bookcase are available, too....Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Mid-Century Modern Bookcases
MaterialsWood
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.
Billy Cotton Layers His Interiors with Lived-In Comfort
The Brooklyn-based designer is adept at styles ranging from austere to over-the-top, espousing an architectural, detail-oriented approach also evident in his line of furniture and lighting.