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.
Chess Game in Two Colored Travertine, Angelo Mangiarotti, Italy, 1970
By Angelo Mangiarotti
Located in Brussels, BE
Chess Game in Two Colored Travertine, Angelo Mangiarotti, Italy, 1970
Travertine
Barbados ashtray by Angelo Mangiarotti for Danese
By Danese Milano, Angelo Mangiarotti
Located in Torino, IT
Ashtray from the Barbados series by Angelo Mangiarotti for Danese Made of white glazed ceramic. Designed in 1964 by designer Mangiarotti. Angelo Mangiarotti was' a Milanese archit...
Ceramic
Ceramic Sculptural Wall Plaque by F. Sanchez for Peregnem
By Perignem
Located in Voorburg, NL
Unique 1950s sculptural Perignem ceramic wall plaque made by F. Sanchez (signed). This beauty comes in charcoal black with sophisticated red and green colors. Signed on the backside ...
Ceramic
$2,525 / item
H 3.94 in W 6.7 in D 20.08 in
21st Mahjong Game Set in Walnut Wood and Leather Handmade in Italy
By Pinetti
Located in Bagnatica, Lombardia
Our brand new Mahjong, a complete restyling for one of the most popular and played games worldwide. Entirely covered in genuine calf leather, our Mahjong comes in a luxurious woo...
Leather, Wood, Walnut
$3,098 / item
H 2.56 in W 16.15 in D 16.15 in
21st Century Italian Leather Chess Board with Brass Pieces Handcrafted in Italy
By Pinetti
Located in Bagnatica, Lombardia
Two in one. A bicolour game board with an interior storage tray that houses the set’s pearled checkers and black and brass-finished chess pieces. The class of a noble material such as walnut wood perfectly matches with the timeless beauty of genuine leather. A full chess and checkers set...
Brass
$1,444 / item
H 3.75 in W 7.49 in D 15.16 in
21st Century Petanque Game Set with Leather Box Handmade in Italy
By Pinetti
Located in Bagnatica, Lombardia
A complete game set of 6 metal balls with one jack and a leather measuring rope. Our portable Pétanque game set comes with its own sleek storage box, completely covered with genuine grained leather. Ideal for outdoor entertaining...
Metal
$2,137 / item
H 13.78 in Dm 8.67 in
21st Century Bowling Game Set in Walnut Wood and Leather Handmade in Italy
By Pinetti
Located in Bagnatica, Lombardia
More than a game. Masterfully handcrafted with precious canaletto walnut wood Pinetti portable Bowling set is enriched with leather details and satin brass finish. A sophisticated...
Brass
$240Sale Price|63% Off
H 1.5 in Dm 10 in
Monumental Brutalist Ashtray by Marcello Fantoni for Raymor, 1950s
By Marcello Fantoni, Raymor
Located in View Park, CA
A green glow: monumental vintage Italian brutalist hand-worked metal ashtray by Marcello Fantoni for Raymor, made in Italy circa 1950. Patinated copper in tones of chartreuse, teal, and pewter. Born in Florence in 1915, Marcello Fantoni wed ancient Italian pottery technique with decidedly Modernist elements, garnering tremendous acclaim both at home and abroad - his work has been collected by important museums worldwide. When Fantoni died in Florence in 2011 at the age of 95, his obituary in the Italian newspaper La Nazione hailed him “the master of beauty.” This stunning piece certainly justifies the moniker. With the signature etched on verso, it is without doubt an heirloom rarity for the savvy collector...
Copper
Italian Tortoiseshell Lucite Chess Set
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Sophisticated Italian chess set from the 1970s, crafted in rich tortoiseshell-pattern Lucite with polished brass accents. The board lifts to reveal a fitted interior tray that neatly...
Lucite
$379
H 1.3 in W 5.9 in D 4 in
Miniature Travelling Chess Set Game handmade in walnut Inlaid box, circa 1940s
Located in Lincoln, Lincolnshire
This is a good quality handmade Miniature or travelling wood chess set game of 32 pieces in its own inlaid hardwood box, which we date to the mid 20th century, circa 1940s. The smal...
Brass
$2,746
H 16.15 in W 18.9 in D 7.49 in
Aldo Londi for Bitossi Rimini Blu Ceramic Plant Centaur Sculpture, Italy, 1960s
By Aldo Londi, Bitossi
Located in Morazzone, Varese
Aldo Londi for Bitossi Rimini Blu Ceramic Plant Centaur Sculpture, Italy, 1960s Exceptionally rare and very large Mid-Century Italian design ceramic sculpture, made by Aldo Londi fo...
Ceramic, Paint
Mid century painted ceramic lighter by Aldo Londi for Bitossi, 1960s
By Bitossi, Aldo Londi
Located in View Park, CA
A vintage Italian mid century modern ceramic table lighter by Aldo Londi for Bitossi, imported by Rosenthal-Netter, 1960s. This unique lighter boasts tones of marigold, tangerine, an...
Metal
$835Sale Price|30% Off
H 1.58 in W 10.44 in D 5.71 in
Glazed ceramic ashtray series "Onda" by Ettore Sottsass, Italy, 1969
By Ettore Sottsass
Located in Milano, IT
Ashtray series "Wave" Ettore Sottsass, 1969 u2028Glazed ceramic ashtray, designed by Ettore Sottsass in 1969 for the Onda series. The work is made of ceramic with cinnabar red glaze,...
Ceramic
$19,342
H 26.38 in W 24.81 in D 24.81 in
21th Century Italian Table, Chess Board, Chess Game Gold /Silver plated brass
By Arval Argenti Valenza
Located in VALENZA, IT
Chess table and chess game in bronze and brass made with the ancient casting technique. After the casting, the finishing was chiseled and subsequently silvered and finished with 24-k...
Brass, Bronze
Sold
H 64.18 in W 31.11 in D 23.63 in
Angelo Mangiarotti '1921-2012', Monumental Sculpture Cambiamiento, circa 2006
By Angelo Mangiarotti
Located in Nice, Cote d' Azur
Angelo Mangiarotti (1921-2012), Monumental Sculpture Cambiamiento, Carrara marble, Made of 5 interlocked pieces, Italy, circa 2006. Measures: Height 163 cm, width 79 cm, depth 60 cm...
Marble