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.
Set of Two "4D" Storage System Units by Mangiarotti for Molteni, Italy, 1960s
By Angelo Mangiarotti, Molteni & C
Located in Milan, IT
Set of two "4D" storage system units by Angelo Mangiarotti for Molteni. Totally built-in walnut with red marble base, these pieces are finished on all four sides, this allows to use...
Marble
Pair of "4D" Units by Angelo Mangiarotti for Molteni, Italy, 1960s
By Angelo Mangiarotti, Molteni & C
Located in Milan, IT
Set of two pieces of furniture model 4D by Angelo Mangiarotti for Molteni. High board and low table with red marble slabs. Size refers to the low piec...
Marble
Set of Three "4D" Walnut Storage System by Mangiarotti for Molteni, Italy, 1960s
By Molteni & C, Angelo Mangiarotti
Located in Milan, IT
Set of three "4D" storage system units by Angelo Mangiarotti for Molteni. Totally built-in walnut these pieces are finished on all four sides; this allows to use them as side table...
Wood
Set of Two "4D" Storage System Units by Mangiarotti for Molteni, Italy, 1960s
By Angelo Mangiarotti, Molteni & C
Located in Milan, IT
Set of two "4D" storage system units by Angelo Mangiarotti for Molteni. Totally built-in walnut with marble base, these pieces are finished on all four sides; this allows to use the...
Marble
$2,751Sale Price|20% Off
H 46.46 in W 41.74 in D 15.75 in
Angelo Mangiarotti Italian Wood Bookcases Shelves Cavalletto Model for Agapecasa
By AgapeCasa, Angelo Mangiarotti
Located in Reggio Emilia, IT
A furnishing system made entirely of wood, designed by Angelo Mangiarotti in 1953. Its distinctive feature is a trestle in the shape of an upturned “V”, which means it is superimposable by means of a siply gravity joint, and whose special perimeter section can accomodate bookshelves on which closed containers...
Wood
$7,116
H 29.53 in W 96.46 in D 19.69 in
Vittorio Introini “Pellicano” Sideboard for Saporiti, Italy, 1960s
By Silvio Coppola, Vittorio Introini
Located in amstelveen, NL
Italian modern “Pellicano” sideboard designed by Vittorio Introini for Saporiti, circa 1960s. This long, credenza features a beautifully proportioned architectural form, finished in...
Ash, Lacquer
$3,088 / item
+ 3 moreH 29 in W 60 in D 15 in
Customizable Color USM Haller Credenza F2 Storage System
By Paul Schaerer, Fritz Haller, Usm Haller
Located in New York, NY
Offered by M2L. With two drop down doors. Designed by Swiss architect Fritz Haller and Paul Schaerer in 1963. Made from powdercoated steel and chrome plated steel tubes, the USM H...
Chrome, Steel
$705
H 17.33 in W 33.47 in D 15.75 in
Low Chest in Rosewood and Tiles, of Danish Design from the 1960s
Located in Lejre, DK
This low chest in rosewood and tiles epitomizes the elegance and craftsmanship characteristic of Danish design from the 1960s. Crafted with meticulous attention to detail, this piece...
Rosewood
Storage unit by Pierre Cardin
By Francesco Bocola, Pierre Cardin
Located in Bruxelles, BE
Pierre Cardin and Francesco Bocola . One of a kind storage unit made by Fransesco Bocola and Pierre Cardin . 4 doors and 4 drawers. Signed pierre Cardin in the wood at the base. Probably unique piece and made for a special command with the rest of pierre Cardin pieces . I would prefer to sell the entire set comprising desk low table and chair...
Wood, Lacquer
$1,793Sale Price / set|20% Off
H 29.53 in W 94.89 in D 16.54 in
Mid-Century Modular Desk and Storage Unit by Mojmír Požár, UP Závody, 1960s
By M. Požár
Located in Praha, CZ
Mid-Century Modern multifunctional modular furniture set designed by Mojmír Požár and manufactured by UP Závody in Czechoslovakia in the 1960s. This versatile composition includes a ...
Glass, Wood
$2,609
H 27.96 in W 37.8 in D 18.9 in
Italian Dry Bar by Angelo Mangiarotti for Molteni in Wood and Marble, 1960s
By Angelo Mangiarotti, Molteni & C
Located in Argelato, BO
Angelo Mangiarotti, rare and refined Dry Bar / Sideboard in wood and marble made for Molteni. It is a functional piece of furniture, capable of holding large quantities of bottles, b...
Marble
$4,257 / item
+ 3 moreH 26 in W 60 in D 15 in
Customizable Color USM Haller Mid Credenza D Storage System
By Paul Schaerer, Usm Haller, Fritz Haller
Located in New York, NY
Offered by M2L. With four drop down doors. Designed by Swiss architect Fritz Haller and Paul Schaerer in 1963. Made from powder coated steel and chrome plated steel tubes, the US...
Chrome, Steel
$1,423
H 28.35 in W 37.41 in D 17.72 in
credenza design angelo mangiarotti for molteni 1960, second speciment
By Angelo Mangiarotti
Located in taranto, IT
wonderful credenza designed by angelo mangiarotti for Molteni, italy, 1960. Made in wood wit marble top, in very good conditions. Only...
Marble
$778Sale Price|20% Off
H 29.93 in W 43.31 in D 17.72 in
1960s Chest of Drawers by Jiří Jiroutek, Czechoslovakia
By Jiri Jiroutek
Located in Praha, CZ
Wooden commode with drawers designed by Jiri Jiroutek, made in Czechoslovakia in the 1960's. Made of oak and plastic. Fully functional, in original condition, shows minor signs of use.
Wood, Glass
$4,268 / item
+ 3 moreH 29 in W 60 in D 15 in
Customizable Color USM Haller Credenza E2 Storage System
By Usm Haller, Fritz Haller, Paul Schaerer
Located in New York, NY
Offered by M2L. With four drop down doors. Designed by Swiss architect Fritz Haller and Paul Schaerer in 1963. Made from powdercoated steel and chrome-plated steel tubes, the USM...
Chrome, Steel
$2,869 / item
+ 3 moreH 29 in W 30 in D 15 in
Customizable Color USM Haller Storage C1A18 Storage System
By Usm Haller, Fritz Haller, Paul Schaerer
Located in New York, NY
Offered by M2L. With one drop down door and one drawer. Designed by Swiss architect Fritz Haller and Paul Schaerer in 1963. Made from powdercoated steel and chrome-plated steel t...
Chrome, Steel
Vintage 4d sideboard by Angelo Mangiarotti for Molteni, 1970s
By Molteni & C, Angelo Mangiarotti
Located in Leuven, Vlaams Gewest
Rare modular '4d' sideboard deisgned by Angelo Mangiarotti and produced by Molteni. The sideboard consist of 4 modules on casters, which can be interchanged so they are setup to you...
Wood
Sold
H 29.93 in W 82.68 in D 18.9 in
Angelo Mangiarotti For Sorgente Dei Mobili Sideboard, Italy 1960s
By Angelo Mangiarotti, La Sorgente Dei Mobili
Located in ABCOUDE, UT
Beautiful and rare sideboard designed by Angelo Mangiarotti for Sorgente Dei Mobili, Italy 1960s. The sideboard is made of carved Mahogany wood, and the doors are covered in the orig...
Fabric, Wood
Sold
H 31.11 in W 86.62 in L 31.11 in
Angelo Mangiarotti Italian Walnut Mid-Century Modern Design Console, 1960s
By Angelo Mangiarotti, Casaluci
Located in Reggio Emilia, IT
Italian Mid-Century Modern design fabulous and very rare walnut console designed by Angelo Mangiarotti for Casaluci, 1960s Please note that the item is original of the period and ...
Walnut