Giraffe Marcantonio

From his Puppy Pouffe lounge chair resembling a shaggy Puli dog to a 13-foot tall handmade giraffe sculpture in fiberglass holding a classic Marie-Thérèse-style chandelier, the whimsical chairs, table lamps and decorative objects created by MARCANTONIO mix originality, humor, mystery and functionality, with a dash of irony for good measure.

Born Marcantonio Raimondi Malerba in 1976 in Massa Lombarda, the artist and designer studied at the Severini Art Institute and Academy of Fine Arts in Ravenna. While there, he explored the relationship between irony and nature — two recurring themes in his works — and developed a fascination with artists such as René Magritte and Marcel Duchamp. 

Following graduation, MARCANTONIO collaborated with architects and worked in theater production before delving into art and furniture design. In 2010, he exhibited his series of Sprout chairs at the Salone del Mobile, which garnered critical acclaim and gained the attention of other ultra-modernist designers such as Mogg, Qeeboo, Natuzzi and Altreforme. MARCANTONIO has also engaged in several fruitful partnerships, notably with Italian design brand Seletti — for which he created his iconic anatomically correct heart-shaped vase — and Scarlet Splendour, manufacturer of his caricatural Forest chair, which is part of his Vegetal Animal series.

Although MARCANTONIO’s designs border on Surrealist and dreamlike, his pieces suggest a sense of “elegant irony.” His coffee tables, floor lamps, cabinets and other objects and furnishings, which feature intricate inlays and chic colors, are made with materials such as suede, brass and fine wool, and strike a balance between luxurious and amusing.

MARCANTONIO’s works have been exhibited at art galleries and shows throughout Europe. His pieces have also been featured in several major international publications such as Architectural Digest, GQ, Marie Claire, ELLE and Vanity Fair.

On 1stDibs, discover a range of MARCANTONIO seating, tables and lighting.

Arguably the world’s most ubiquitous man-made material, plastic has impacted nearly every industry. In contemporary spaces, new and vintage plastic furniture is quite popular and its use pairs well with a range of design styles.

From the Italian lighting artisans at Fontana Arte to venturesome Scandinavian modernists such as Verner Panton, who created groundbreaking interiors as much as he did seating — see his revolutionary Panton chair — to contemporary multidisciplinary artists like Faye Toogood, furniture designers have been pushing the boundaries of plastic forever.

When The Graduate's Mr. McGuire proclaimed, “There’s a great future in plastics,” it was more than a laugh line. The iconic quote is an allusion both to society’s reliance on and its love affair with plastic. Before the material became an integral part of our lives — used in everything from clothing to storage to beauty and beyond — people relied on earthly elements for manufacturing, a process as time-consuming as it was costly.

Soon after American inventor John Wesley Hyatt created celluloid, which could mimic luxury products like tortoiseshell and ivory, production hit fever pitch, and the floodgates opened for others to explore plastic’s full potential. The material altered the history of design — mid-century modern legends Charles and Ray Eames, Joe Colombo and Eero Saarinen regularly experimented with plastics in the development of tables and chairs, and today plastic furnishings and decorative objects are seen as often indoors as they are outside.

Find vintage plastic lounge chairs, outdoor furniture, lighting and more on 1stDibs.