Arturo Pani has been called the Jean Royère of Mexico. Like the adored French master of the mid-20th century, Pani won an upper-class clientele who appreciated the vivacity and exuberance he brought to interiors. His specialty was using new materials to reinterpret traditional stylings — the sensuous curves and arabesques of the Rococo; stately neoclassical motifs — for a modern context. Pani's work is a thing apart: at once theatrical and distinguished, playful and grand.
Pani was born to splendid settings. His father was Mexico’s ambassador to France, and both Pani and his brother Mario, a noted architect of the International style, would study at the prestigious École des Beaux Arts in Paris. Pani made his name in the late 1930s by designing lavish interiors that belied the austere facade of his brother’s new Hotel Reforma in Mexico City. Mexico’s affluent class welcomed Pani’s technique for juxtaposing Mario’s sleek modernist architectural envelope with voluptuous decor. His style became known as the “Acapulco look” in the 1930s, when Pani became the blossoming Pacific resort’s decorator of choice to the jet set. Pani’s own Acapulco villa would become a favorite backdrop for the society photographer Slim Aarons.
Though Pani frequently created furniture along the strict, geometric lines associated with mid-century modernism — and did, on occasion, produce pieces with wildly flowing futuristic lines — his signature designs were those that offered an idiosyncratic, spare-yet-sumptuous take on historical forms.
Pani’s favorite material was wrought iron, usually gilded. With it, he produced tables with elaborate sheaf-of-wheat bases, or scrolling baroque supports; chairs with frames made of iron rods bent to suggest the sinuous seatbacks and cabriole legs of Louis XV pieces; or — jumping a stylistic generation forward — designs with Louis XVI elements such as arrows and chevrons. Pani’s work has again become chic. As you will see on these pages, like few others, Arturo Pani had a true sense of drama. Virtually everything he designed is a showstopper.
Find vintage Arturo Pani coffee tables, armchairs, side tables and other furniture on 1stDibs.
1950s Arturo Pani Service Bar Cart Patinated Brass
By Arturo Pani
Located in Chula Vista, CA
1950s Mexico lovely vintage Modern Brass Service Cart by Arturo Pani. Body construction tubular brass. Original vintage wheels. Cart comes with new ...
Brass
Italian Design Mid-Century Bar Cart, 1950s
Located in Casale Monferrato, IT
Rare 1950s Italian desgin serving bar cart. Made of beech wood equipped with two glass shelves and brass wheels for convenient movement. Perfect for serving drinks to your guests. Vi...
Glass, Beech
Maison Jansen Brass and Crystal Tiny Round Bar Cart, France, 1950s
By Maison Jansen
Located in Roma, IT
Gorgeous compact Mid-Century round bar cart in solid brass and crystal glass. This elegant piece was produced by Maison Jansen in France during the 1950s. In excellent condition, th...
Metal, Brass
Italian Brass Bar Cart, 1950s.
Located in Palermo, IT
Italian brass bar cart, 1950s. Glass shelves. Elegant and in good condition. 4 swivel wheels. Minor signs of wear. We guarantee prompt shipping in a wooden crate with appropriate pac...
Brass
American Designer, Bar Cart, Wood, Brass, Marble, USA, 1950s
Located in High Point, NC
A wood, brass and marble bar cart likely designed and produced in the US, c. 1950s. Dramatic patina on brass handles. Rolls rough with slight waver. Wear consistent with age and use...
Marble, Brass
$2,551
H 29.53 in W 31.89 in D 20.08 in
Midcentury Cesare Lacca Bar Cart, Stained Beech & Brass, Italy, 1950s
By Cesare Lacca
Located in Albano Laziale, Rome/Lazio
An unusual all original midcentury oval bar cart by Cesare Lacca, Italy. Made in stained lacquered beech and brass with a design typical for Lacca even though this particular design ...
Brass
Cesare Lacca, Bar Cart, Wood, Glass, Brass, Italy, 1950s
By Cesare Lacca
Located in High Point, NC
A wood, brass and glass bar cart designed by Cesare Lacca, Italy, c. 1950s. Minor imperfections to glass. Wear consistent with age and use. Overall Dimensions (inches): 25.65"H x ...
Brass
Vintage Brass Bar Cart by Cesare Lacca, Italy, 1950s.
By Cesare Lacca
Located in Catania, CT
This brass bar or service cart, designed by Cesare Lacca and produced in Italy in the 1950s, is in very good vintage condition and shows typical signs of age and use, consistent with...
Brass
Large 1950s Globe Bar Cart
Located in Palermo, IT
Large 1950s globe bar cart Intact and in good condition, with minor signs of wear. It has a diameter of 77 cm and a height of 104 cm. We guarantee fast,...
Wood
Cesare Lacca, Bar Cart, Wood, Brass, Glass, Italy, 1950s
By Cesare Lacca
Located in High Point, NC
A dark-stained wood, brass and glass bar cart designed and produced by Cesare Lacca, Italy, c. 1950s. Dramatic patina brass. Minor cracking on wood handles consistent with age and u...
Brass
Mid-Century Industrial Bar Cart, 1950s, Czechoslovakia
Located in Praha, CZ
Large industrial mid-century bar cart produced in Czechoslovakia during the 1950s. The trolley showcases a minimalist functional design with durable metal construction and generous ...
Metal
Carl Auböck Bar Cart, Austria 1950s
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Wien, AT
Bar Cart / Serving Trolley designed by Carl Auböck II in 1953, manufactured by his workshop in Vienna. The cart features a black lacquered tubular iron construction, woven rattan, an...
Iron
Salterini, Bar Cart, Iron, Italy, 1950s
By Salterini
Located in High Point, NC
A black-lacquered iron bar cart or serving cart produced by Salterini, Italy, c. 1950s. Overall Dimensions (inches): 34.7"H x 19.5"W x 32.25"D All items ship from High Point, North...
Iron