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.
Italian modern white plastic tableware set by Angelo Mangiarotti, 1970s
By Angelo Mangiarotti
Located in MIlano, IT
Italian modern white plastic tableware set with plates, cups and bowls by Angelo Mangiarotti, 1970s White plastic tableware set consisting of six plates, six bowls, six glasses and s...
Plastic
Angelo Mangiarotti for Cristallerie Il Colle 1970s drinking set
By Angelo Mangiarotti
Located in Parma, IT
Angelo Mangiarotti drinking service for Cristallerie Il Colle 1970s. Set of 6 low and 6 tall glasses and crystal ice box. In excellent condition. Dimensions: bucket diam 17 x h 11 c...
Crystal
$538
H 1.58 in W 14.97 in D 14.97 in
Triangular Glass Centerpiece by Angelo Mangiarotti for Cristallerie Colle, 1990s
By Angelo Mangiarotti
Located in Bresso, Lombardy
Made in Italy, 1990s. This is a glass plate / centerpiece designed by Angelo Mangiarotti for Cristallerie Colle. It is a vintage piece, therefore it might show slight traces of use, ...
Glass
$210Sale Price|30% Off
H 2.37 in W 7.88 in D 1.78 in
Angelo Mangiarotti Gondola Candleholder for Colle Crystal
By Angelo Mangiarotti
Located in Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
Gondola candleholder produced by Colle. Never used, MIB.
Glass
Important tableware China, circa 1950 / 1970
Located in Paris, FR
Large Chinese porcelain dinner service, circa 1950/1970, decorated with scenes of domestic life. It has been used very little and is in perfect condition. It consists of: 12 dinner plates, 12 soup plates, 12 dessert plates, 12 smaller plates, 12 bread plates, 6 presentation plates 2 vegetable dishes with lids, 1 soup tureen with lid, 1 salad bowl, 2 sauce boats, 1 butter dish, 4 ramekins 8 egg cups, 1 large round shallow dish, 1 large oval dish, 1 smaller oval dish, 12 coffee cups with saucers 11 teacups with saucers, 1 teapot, 1 coffee pot, 1 sugar bowl, 1 milk jug. Each piece is in perfect condition and bears the Qianlong Nian Zhi...
Porcelain
Midcentury tableware designed by Gabriella Crespi, Italy
By Gabriella Crespi
Located in Piacenza, Italy
Tableware designed by Gabriella Crespi Pair of golden brass tableware designed by Gabriella Crespi. Recorded by Archivio Gabriella Crespi, Milan. Signed Italy 1970s D: 16 cm H: 2 ...
Brass
$2,865
H 6.7 in Dm 13.59 in
20th Century Angelo Mangiarotti Centerpiece Model Casta for Colle Fully in Glass
By Angelo Mangiarotti
Located in Torino, Piemonte
Very elegant Centerpiece designed by Angelo Mangiarotti in 1988 for Colle Cristalleria. The centerpiece is entirely in glass, and it is shaped as an half sphere. On the centerpiece ...
Glass
Italian Black Marble Cup/Ashtray by Angelo Mangiarotti, 1970s
By Angelo Mangiarotti
Located in Brussels, BE
Italian black marble cup/ashtray by Angelo Mangiarotti, 1970s.
Marble
Marble Ashtray Attributed to Angelo Mangiarotti for Knoll, Italy, 1970s
By Knoll, Angelo Mangiarotti
Located in Rome, IT
Round marble ashtray attributed to Angelo Mangiarotti for Knoll, Italy, 1970s.
Marble
$585Sale Price / set|40% Off
H 15.63 in W 0.75 in D 0.75 in
Cini & Nils Carving Set, Stainless Steel, Modern Design, Italy, 1970s
By OPI Milano, Cini & Nils
Located in Sheffield, MA
A beautifully designed fork and knife carving set crafted from stainless steel by Cini & Nils, OPI Milano in original boxes. Measure: Second piece: D 0.75", W 10". Serving pieces.
Stainless Steel
$1,661 / set
H 11.82 in W 7.49 in D 4.73 in
Mid-20th Century Iridescent Ceramic Drinks Set of 9 Made in France, 1970s
Located in Antwerp, BE
Beautiful and rare 1950s-1970s Hollywood regency iridescent drink set composed of a jug and eight glasses in enameled ceramic, made in France (possible by Vallauris), a potter's Fren...
Ceramic
$1,203
H 7.09 in Dm 5.91 in
Usa Modern Centerpiece Bowl Mod. 8531 by Angelo Mangiarotti for Knoll, 1970s
By Angelo Mangiarotti, Knoll
Located in MIlano, IT
Usa modern Centerpiece bowl mod. 8531 by Angelo Mangiarotti for Knoll, 1970s. Centerpiece bowl mod. 8531 in the shape of a cup with a round base, in gray marble. Produced by Knoll ...
Marble
Angelo Mangiarotti, Primavera, Vase, Colle, 1980s
By Angelo Mangiarotti
Located in Paris, FR
Angelo Mangiarotti (1921-2012) « Primavera » A crystal vase, the single bent stem on a spreading base. Produced by Colle, Italy. 1980s. Dimensions Height : 21,2 cm (8,35 in.) Wid...
Crystal
$538
H 0.6 in Dm 7.88 in
Set of 4 Ashtrays in Black Marble, attributed t Angelo Mangiarotti, Italy, 1970s
By Angelo Mangiarotti
Located in Roma, IT
Wonderful set of 4 triangular modular ashtrays in Belgian black marble attributed to Angelo Mangiarotti. Made in Italy during the 1970s. This stylish modular ashtray is made out of ...
Marble, Belgian Black Marble