Had Cini Boeri been a man, the Milanese architect and furniture designer, who died in 2020 at age 96, might be regarded today on par with such visionaries of the mid-20th century as Gio Ponti or Marco Zanuso. She worked with both. Although she’s well known and deeply respected in Italy, her renown elsewhere has been more akin to a cult following.
“I admire the work she did across architecture, interiors and furniture,” designer Faye Toogood says of Boeri’s impact. “She practiced architecture during a time when it was considered that women were too fragile to work outside.”
Boeri was one of very few women of her era to graduate from Milan Polytechnic with an architecture degree, which she did in 1951. Her illustrious career hinged on the strict economy of her designs and limited palette of materials. For example, her innovative 1971 Serpentone sofa for Arflex was crafted from just one material, polyurethane foam, and sold by the meter. Her ingenious 1987 Ghost chair for Fiam was cut from a single sheet of thick glass.
But in Boeri’s earlier days, her pieces displayed a more youthful exuberance. The circa 1968 Cubotto cabinet, produced in small numbers by Arflex, is an elegantly irregular arrangement of eight drawers of varying dimensions. The wooden cube, two feet square, was finished in laminate — in vivid orange, blue, sand or white — with color-coordinated casters and handles of black-enameled brass. Its design reflects a Space Age interest in flexible, space-saving, multiuse furnishings.
“It’s a very clean piece of design,” says Kaisha Davierwalla, owner and founder of Vaspaar Italy. “Even with its strong, square lines, somehow the vibrant colors and asymmetry have the feel of a feminine touch.”
Find vintage Cini Boeri seating, lighting and tables on 1stDibs.
Rare Accademia Floor Lamp, Designed by Cini Boeri for Artemide, Italy, 1978
By Artemide, Cini Boeri
Located in Milano, IT
The Accademia floor lamp, designed by Cini Boeri in 1978, is a rare and monumental lighting piece created for Artemide. It stands as a powerful example of Boeri’s minimalist design p...
Steel
$11,017 / item
Accademia Floor Lamp by Cini Boeri for Artemide 1978
By Cini Boeri, Artemide
Located in Barcelona, ES
The Accademia lamp, designed by Cini Boeri in 1978, is a floor lamp version of the popular table lamp created for Artemide. This lamp is an impressive example of Boeri's minimalist a...
Iron
$3,711Sale Price|20% Off
Early Cini Boeri Accademia Floor Lamp for Artemide, Italy 1978
By Artemide, Cini Boeri
Located in Milan, IT
An Early Cini Boeri Accademia Floor Lamp for Artemide, Italy 1978
Metal
Zeus floor lamp by Cini Boeri for Gavina, 1970s
By Cini Boeri, Gavina
Located in MONTESSON, FR
This floor lamp was created by Italian designer Cini Boeri for Gavina in the 1970s. It is the Zeus model. The structure is made of red and chrome-painted metal, while the spherical d...
Metal
Cini Boeri Accademia Floor Lamp by Artemide, Italy ca. 1978
By Cini Boeri
Located in Geneva, CH
Rare vintage Accademia floor lamp by Cini Boeri produced by Artemide in 1978. Off white fabric stretched on a metal frame and hung on a black steel triangular structure. The double ...
Steel
"Accademia Tavolo" Table lamp by Cini Boeri for Artemide, 1970s
By Artemide, Cini Boeri
Located in bruxelles, BE
Metal and fabric table lamp by Cini Boeri for Artemide. Model: Accademia Tavolo . Wear due to time and age of the lamp For shipping, request us for receive the best price.
Metal
Model Chiara Floor Lamp by Cini Boeri for Venini, 1985
By Venini, Cini Boeri
Located in BARCELONA, ES
Illuminate your space with the ethereal elegance of the Model Chiara Floor Lamp by Cini Boeri for Venini, a radiant masterpiece signed "Venini 1985." Crafted from pristine white glas...
Iron
Blue Chiara Floor Lamp by Cini Boeri for Venini, Italy, 1980s
By Cini Boeri
Located in Brussels, BE
Chiara Floor Lamp by Cini Boeri for Venini, Italy, 1980s
Glass
Accademia Tavolo Picoli by Cini Boeri for Artemide 1978
By Cini Boeri, Artemide
Located in Barcelona, ES
The Accademia lamp, designed by Cini Boeri in 1978, is a small-scale version of the popular table lamp created for Artemide. This lamp is an impressive example of Boeri's minimalist ...
Iron
Ettore Sottsass Callimaco Floor Lamp for Artemide
By Ettore Sottsass, Artemide
Located in Glendale, CA
Ettore Sottsass 'Callimaco' floor lamp for Artemide. Originally created in 1982, Ettore Sottsass’ “horn” of light creates the remarkable illusion of an oversized musical instrument...
Aluminum
$2,203
H 15.75 in W 12.6 in D 12.6 in
1st Edition Accademia Table Lamp by Cini Boeri for Artemide, Italy, 1978
By Artemide, Cini Boeri
Located in Milano, IT
Conceived in 1978 by Italian architect and designer Cini Boeri for Artemide, the Accademia table lamp represents a striking synthesis of architectural rigor and minimalist sensibilit...
Metal
Accademia table lamp by Cini Boeri, Artemide 1978
By Artemide, Cini Boeri
Located in Renens, CH
"Accademia" table lamp designed by Cini Boeri and manufactured by Artemide, Italy 1978. This minimalist architectural lamp features a triangular shaped black metal base and a white...
Metal
$2,036
H 19.69 in W 22.05 in D 11.42 in
Italian table lamp 1970s Accademia model Cini Boeri for Artemide
By Artemide, Cini Boeri
Located in Milano, Lombardia
Particular table lamp model Accademia designed in 1978 by Cini Boeri for Artemide. The Lamp is triangular in cross-section with a metal frame and a wide fabric diffuser. The Lamp ...
Metal
$1,350
H 75.99 in Dm 9.85 in
Aton Floor Lamp by Ernesto Gismondi for Artemide – Iconic Italian 1980s Design
By Artemide, Ernesto Gismondi
Located in Dronten, NL
Step into the golden age of Italian modernism with the Aton Floor Lamp, a rare and sophisticated lighting piece designed by Ernesto Gismondi for Artemide in the 1980s. As the visiona...
Steel
Mario Botta for Artemide ‘Shogun’ Floor Lamp
By Artemide, Mario Botta
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Mario Botta for Artemide, 'Shogun' floor lamp, aluminum, steel, Italy, 1986 Mario Botta referred to lamps as “people”. He said: "Shogun is a person. He has a head, body and feet, ...
Aluminum, Steel
Accademia Tavolo Picoli by Cini Boeri for Artemide 1978
By Cini Boeri, Artemide
Located in Barcelona, ES
The Accademia lamp, designed by Cini Boeri in 1978, is a small-scale version of the popular table lamp created for Artemide. This lamp is an impressive ...
Iron
Vico Magistretti for Artemide Chimera Floor Lamp, Italy, 1970s
By Artemide, Vico Magistretti
Located in Naples, IT
Designer floor lamp from the 1970s, created by Vico Magistretti for Artemide. The "Chimera" model is made of methacrylate and white lacquered metal . An iconic piece that can add st...
Metal
Accademia Wall Lamp by Cini Boeri for Artemide, Italy 1978
By Cini Boeri, Artemide
Located in Milano, IT
Accademia Wall Lamp by Cini Boeri for Artemide, Italy 1978. The Accademia sconce (or wall lamp) designed by Cini Boeri in 1978 is one of the variations manufactured by Artemide of t...
Metal
$1,275 / item
H 79.93 in W 20.08 in D 12.21 in
Polifemo Floor Lamp by Carlo Forcolini for Artemide, Italy
By Artemide, Carlo Forcolini
Located in Milano, IT
During the 1980s, Artemide produced an Italian postmodern floor lamp crafted by the renowned designer Carlo Forcolino. This lamp features...
Metal
Mezzoracolo Table of Floor Lamp by Gae Aulenti for Artemide, 1970s
By Gae Aulenti, Artemide
Located in Rotterdam, NL
Mezzoracolo table or floor lamp by Italian architect Gae Aulenti, executed by Artemide. This is the smaller version, but it is still 67 cm high. The other version is named Oracolo, a...
Metal
Cini Boeri 'Accademia' for Artemide, 1978
By Cini Boeri
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Floor lamp, fabric, painted steel by Cini Boeri for Artemide, Italy, 1978. This 'Accademia' floor lamp has a vertical fabric shade that runs all the way from the top to the base. ...
Steel
Cini Boeri for Artemide Floor Lamp "Accademia," Italy 1970s
By Artemide, Cini Boeri
Located in Naples, IT
Floor lamp mod. Accademia designed and engineered by Cini Boeri for the famous Italian firm Artemide in the 1970s. The lamp frame is made of black painted metal and the fabric shade.
Metal
Cini Boeri, floor lamp mod. 1098 for Arteluce, 1968
By Arteluce, Cini Boeri
Located in Saarbrücken, SL
Cini Boeri, floor lamp mod. 1098 in white PVC. Base in metal. Marked with maker’s label Arteluce.
Metal
Accademia Floor Lamp by Cini Boeri for Artemide
By Artemide, Cini Boeri
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Accademia\ floor lamp by Cini Boeri for Artemide. Designed and manufactured in Italy, in 1978. Iconinic minimal and industrial floor lamp, with triangular steel frame and geometric s...
Steel
Zeus Table Lamp by Cini Boeri for Gavina, 1970s
By Cini Boeri, Gavina
Located in bruxelles, BE
White table lamp in metal and frosted glass. Chrome-plated metal frame. Globe can be rotated 360°. Dimmer switch. Wear due to time and age (see pictures).
Metal
Cini Boeri for Venini Chiara Floor Lamp, Italy, 1980s
By Cini Boeri, Venini
Located in Naples, IT
Floor lamp Mod. "Chiara" by Cini Boeri produced by Venini. This elegant lamp is made of white glass on an inner thin pink layer fixed to a shaft of opaque white glass, the upper lamp...
Murano Glass
Cini Boeri Accademia Table Lamp Artemide, Italy, 1978
By Artemide, Cini Boeri
Located in Roosendaal, Noord Brabant
Rare and large table lamp model Accademia designed by Cini Boeri and manufactured by Artemide, Italy, 1978. The lamp has a black painted metal base and a white fabric shade. Very nic...
Metal
Arteluce Abat Jour Lamp by Cini Boeri from 1975
By Arteluce, Cini Boeri
Located in Milan, IT
An elegant lamp by Cini Boeri produced by Arteluce in 1975. The lamp has a lush marble base, upon which rests the pyramidal diffuser that emits a cool light through the white perspe...
Marble, Sheet Metal