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Aldo Tura

One of the most enigmatic and polarizing figures to emerge in Italian design, Aldo Tura is an outlier in the world of mid-century furniture. The designer’s glamorous bar carts, coffee tables, cabinets and more resist categorization and draw inspiration from Art Deco, Art Nouveau, Baroque, Surrealist and modernist styles.

Tura moved through distinct phases in his career in terms of aesthetics, influences and finishes, rendering his life’s work exciting and diverse. Despite these phases, he held a singular devotion to one material: lacquered goatskin. Tura established a furniture production house in 1939 in Lombardy, and some of his early work focused on tables, decorative lamps and more. He later expanded to bar furnishings like rolling carts, cabinets and complementary barware accessories like ice buckets and cocktail shakers. The eccentric, gleaming and luxe surface of lacquered goatskin was a constant, along with eggshell, parchment and leather.

By the 1950s, Tura had begun to use hand-painted figural panels on the surface of cabinets, serveware (such as carafes) and other pieces. He even replicated famous works by artists like Monet and Bruegel the Elder and art from the Middle Ages, sometimes playfully embedding the paintings on cabinets shaped like oversize books. Even though he had a favored color palette of rich chocolate browns and deep emeralds, his style remained consistently hard to define.

Tura was unlike most of his Italian contemporaries but held a similar reverence for the nation’s traditional craftsmanship and artisanal techniques. He never followed the growing trend of mass-produced, industrial furniture and stuck to creating small, meticulously handcrafted collections. This principled choice means that today, a Tura piece is a rare and highly coveted collectible. The Tura firm continues to operate in Brianza, promoting Italian craftsmanship and the eclectic materials embraced by their namesake designer.

Find authentic vintage Aldo Tura furniture today on 1stDibs.

Aldo Tura Lacquered Goatskin Pyramid Ice Bucket or Wine Cooler Sculpture
By Aldo Tura
Located in Brooklyn, NY
An exceptional example of an uncommon Aldo Tura design, this pyramid form wine cooler or ice bucket comprises a lacquered goatskin parchment body with a lacquered mahogany underside,...
Category

20th Century Italian Modern Aldo Tura

Materials

Goatskin, Plastic, Mahogany

Aldo Tura Small Cream Goatskin Serving Cart
By Aldo Tura
Located in Munich, DE
Round serving cart with brass applications made by Aldo Tura , Italy 1960s. The wooden frame is covered with cream colored goatskin, varnished in clear acrylic lacquer and the polish...
Category

1960s Italian Hollywood Regency Vintage Aldo Tura

Materials

Brass

Aldo Tura Dry Bar Cabinet Brown & Beige
By Aldo Tura
Located in Miami, FL
Stunning 'Calice' (wine glass) bar cabinet by Aldo Tura, Italy 1950s. This iconic, luxurious version is by far the most beautiful and also one of the most rare by this talented furni...
Category

1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Aldo Tura

Materials

Brass

Mid-Century Aldo Tura Parchment Covered Pedestal Bar Light Up Mirrored Interior
By Aldo Tura
Located in Troy, MI
Circa 1960s pedestal style bar designed by Aldo Tura is in the form of a large stemmed goblet made of wood covered in goatskin parchment. The body of the bar is decorated all the way...
Category

Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Aldo Tura

Materials

Brass

Set of five Italian Mid-Century Modern high back dining chairs by Aldo Tura
By Aldo Tura
Located in Berlin, DE
A set of five tall ladder-back dining chairs by Aldo Tura, circa 1950's. The chairs frames are made of gloss black ebonized wood and the backrests feature lacquered goatskin parchmen...
Category

Mid-20th Century Italian Hollywood Regency Aldo Tura

Materials

Goatskin, Wood

1950s Aldo Tura Brass and Lacquered Goatskin Italian Luxury Serving Tray
By Aldo Tura
Located in Aci Castello, IT
This Aldo Tura Serving Tray epitomize the mid-century modern aesthetic with its emphasis on clean lines, organic shapes, and the integration of luxurious materials, showcasing the ti...
Category

Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Aldo Tura

Materials

Brass

Aldo Tura Green Goatskin Chrome Box
By Aldo Tura
Located in Munich, DE
Elegant cigar box in lacquered goatskin. This box was executed, circa 1960 in light green parchment with chrome parts. Very good vintage condition. Along with artists like Piero Forn...
Category

1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Aldo Tura

Materials

Goatskin

Aldo Tura Green Goatskin Chrome Box
Aldo Tura Green Goatskin Chrome Box
H 1.97 in W 7.88 in D 7.88 in
Aldo Tura Decorative Bar Set in Carved Wood and Brass, Macabo, Italy 1950s
By Aldo Tura, Macabo
Located in Roma, IT
Beautiful bar set in carved wood and brass. This lovely set was designed by Aldo Tura and produced by Macabo in Milano, Italy during the 1950s. The set consist of a pitcher, 6 glass...
Category

1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Aldo Tura

Materials

Metal, Brass

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Aldo Tura furniture for sale on 1stDibs.

Aldo Tura furniture are available for sale on 1stDibs. These distinctive items are frequently made of animal skin and are designed with extraordinary care. There are many options to choose from in our collection of Aldo Tura furniture, although brown editions of this piece are particularly popular. Many of the original furniture by Aldo Tura were created in the mid-century modern style in europe during the 20th century. If you’re looking for additional options, many customers also consider furniture by Archimede Seguso, Seguso Vetri d'Arte, and Piero Fornasetti. Prices for Aldo Tura furniture can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $202 and can go as high as $45,000, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $2,393.

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