Italian architect, designer, teacher and urban planner Angelo Mangiarotti was a leading light in the international design community from the 1960s onward. While he was an adherent of the rationalist principles of purity of line and simplicity of construction, he sought to imbue his designs for coffee tables, dining chairs, sconces and other furnishings with a sense of character and lightness of spirit that was often lacking in late-20th-century modernist architecture and design.
Born in Milan, Mangiarotti studied architecture at Milan Polytechnic, graduating in 1948. Five years later, he won a visiting professorship at the Illinois Institute of Technology — beginning a peripatetic academic career that would see him teaching in numerous Italian institutions as well as in schools as far afield as Hawaii and Australia. He worked with Bauhaus eminences Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and met such greats as Frank Lloyd Wright and Walter Gropius. He returned to Italy in 1955 and would go on to work on numerous industrial, residential, commercial and civic projects in his home country, most notably a group of six railway stations in Milan.
As a designer, Mangiarotti and the development of his career embodies the evolution of modernism in the latter decades of the 20th century. In the late 1950s and early ’60s, after early experiments in plywood furniture and one-piece foam-core seating — including the 1110 lounge chair for Cassina — Mangiarotti began to design using more classic materials, from delicate, curvaceous blown-glass table lamps for Artemide to chandeliers with crystal links for Vistosi.
In 1971, Mangiarotti introduced what became his signature designs: a series of tables in marble and other stones that featured “gravity joints,” their legs held in place by the weight of the tabletop. Tables in his Eros collection have muscular proportions that anticipate the robust, overscaled lines of postmodern works that would appear 10 years later: His Eccentrico table, for example, is a striking assemblage in marble featuring a top that is cantilevered dramatically on a canted columnar base.
But simplicity and practicality were consistently the primary watchwords of Mangiarotti’s designs. The purity and elegance of the objects he created offer a graceful counterpoint to a traditional decor, yet they have a singular sculptural presence that allows them to stand out powerfully in a modern interior.
Find vintage Angelo Mangiarotti furniture on 1stDibs.
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Amazing Paperweight in Black Marble by Angelo Mangiarotti, Italy 1967
By Angelo Mangiarotti
Located in Catania, IT
This black marble paperweight consists of two sections, the cylindrical-shaped base and the second pyramid-shaped. The item is in perfect cond...
Marble
$177 / item
H 3.94 in W 3.94 in D 3.94 in
Handmade Small Decorative Paperweight Cube in Black Marquina Marble
By Fiammetta V.
Located in Carrara, IT
Small decorative paperweight cube full in black Marquina marble. Each piece is in a way unique (every marble block is different in veins and shades) and handmade by Italian artisans ...
Marble
$355 / item
H 7.88 in W 7.88 in D 7.88 in
Handmade Big Decorative Paperweight Cube in Black Marquina Marble
By Fiammetta V.
Located in Carrara, IT
Big decorative paperweight cube full in black Marquina marble. Each piece is in a way unique (every marble block is different in veins and shades) and handmade by Italian artisans sp...
Marble
$355 / item
H 13.78 in Dm 5.91 in
Handmade Big Decorative Paperweight Cone in Satin Black Marquina Marble
By Fiammetta V.
Located in Carrara, IT
A decorative big cone full in black Marquina marble. Each piece is in a way unique (every marble block is different in veins and shades) and handmade by Italian artisans specialized ...
Marble
A Grand Tour Italian Specimen Marble Paperweight
Located in Spencertown, NY
The white ground inlaid with specimen marbles and porphyry with ridges on 2 sides
Marble
Angelo Mangiarotti Travertine Chess Set
By Angelo Mangiarotti
Located in Byron Bay, NSW
Inspired by the timeless design language of Angelo Mangiarotti, this exquisite chess set is a sculptural celebration of form, function, and natural material. Each piece is meticulous...
Travertine
$935
H 2.37 in Dm 12.21 in
Large Round Bowl in Black Carnico Marble by Angelo Mangiarotti, Italy, 1970s
By Knoll, Angelo Mangiarotti
Located in Roma, IT
Elegant Italian Mid-Century bowl in black Carnico marble. This stylish and unique piece was produced in Italy during the 1970s by Angelo Mangiarotti. In amazing condition, with no c...
Marble
Silver Panther Paperweight on a Black Marble Ball by Mary Jurek Design
Located in Moreno Valley, CA
A Silver Panther Paperweight on a Black Marble Ball By: Mary Jurek Design Inc. Mary Jurek Panther Paperweight Marble Ball and Chrome. Designed as a p...
Marble, Metal
Italian Marble Egg Paperweight Decorative Object
Located in New York, NY
An Italian marble decorative object or paperweight with an alabaster egg design, circa early to mid-20th century, Italy. A great decorative object or desk accessory. Dimensions: 2.69...
Marble, Alabaster
Italian Alabaster Marble Sphere or Paperweight
Located in New York, NY
An Italian alabaster marble round sphere or paperweight, /70s Modern period, circa late-20th century, 1970s, Italy. Marked "Genuine Alabaster", "Hand...
Alabaster, Marble
Angelo Mangiarotti Calacatta Marble Vase
By Angelo Mangiarotti
Located in Dallas, TX
Angelo Mangiarotti (1921-2012) was an Italian designer and architect who focused on industrial process and design production. Mangiarotti believed strongly in the correct use of technique and manner and built his reputation on the idea that one should never forget the real needs of users. He graduated from the Architecture School of Politecnico di Milano in 1948, moved to the U.S. in 1953 and worked as a visiting professor at the Illinois Institute of Technology where me met the likes of Konrad...
Marble
Italian Pietra Dura Inlaid Marble Butterfly Paperweight
Located in Stamford, CT
Italian oval white marble paperweight with beautiful colored burnt orange and greenish gray marble inlay with mother of pearl highlights in the form of a butterfly. Lovely piece to h...
Marble
$1,172
H 1.58 in W 9.85 in D 9.85 in
Letter Holder Paperweight in in Travertine by Fratelli Mannelli, Italy, 1970s
By Fratelli Mannelli
Located in Rome, IT
Letter holder or paperweight in travertine marble by the designers Fratelli Mannelli, Italy, 1970s. Weight: 5 kilos.
Travertine, Marble