Multidisciplinary artist, sculptor and designer Ennio Chiggio was not only known for his Space Age lamps and voluptuous, modular Environ sofas, but he was also renowned as a technological innovator, electronic music producer and researcher, who explored the relationship between mathematics and art.
Born in 1938 in Naples, Chiggio studied technology and art at the Academy of Fine Arts in Venice. While still in school, in 1957, Chiggio began painting kinetic art using tempera on cardboard and ink on paper. By 1960, he had joined the artists’ collective Gruppo N, founded by Alberto Biasi, Edoardo Landi, Manfredo Massironi and Toni Costa.
With Gruppo N, Chiggio participated in several exhibitions such as “Programmed Art,” presented by Italian intellectual Umberto Eco, which showed in Milan, Venice and Rome in 1962 and in London and New York in 1964. By the following year, Chiggio’s interests had turned to sound and music production, and he founded the Group of Experimental Phonology NPS (New Proposals Sound) with pianist and composer Teresa Rampazzi.
From 1964 to ’77, Chiggio operated a design studio that focused on furniture and lighting as well as glass and electromechanical objects. His most well-known lighting includes the Ciot floor lamp for Italian manufacturer Lumenform, sculptural table lamps and wall sconces for Emmezeta.
After closing his design studio in 1978, Chiggio dedicated his time to teaching, serving as a professor of design and industrial aesthetics at his alma mater. In 1996, he opened the Embtool multimedia research laboratory in Padua, where he made short films about art and architecture and conducted computational music research, exploring the relationship between mathematical models and artistic expression.
Throughout the 2000s until his death in 2020, Chiggio participated in several exhibitions at the New Museum of Contemporary Art in New York, the National Gallery of Modern Art in Rome, the MACBA Museo de Arte Contemporáneo in Buenos Aires and Museum Ritter in Waldenbuch, Germany. Public collections throughout Italy and Germany also feature his works.
On 1stDibs, discover a range of innovative Ennio Chiggio furniture.
Ennio Chiggio sofa, environ one , Nikol international , alpaca wool Italy 70s
By Ennio Chiggio
Located in PARIS, FR
Canapé Ennio Chiggio environ one , italie , année 70 composé de 6 modules,et d une coupe en plexiglass ou vous pourrez y deposer votre bouteille de champagne .... ensemble emblématiq...
Alpaca, Plastic, Foam
Italy Venezia Mid-18th Century Baroque Wooden Sofa
Located in Brescia, IT
Mid-18th Century hand-carved 1750 Venetian Baroque walnut sofa, three-seat with armrests. Remarkable work by Venetian cabinetmakers. The 18th C...
Walnut, Silk
$2,972
H 29.53 in W 81.11 in D 35.44 in
Mid-Century Modern Italian Velvet Sofa with Chrome Structure, 1970s
Located in Prato, IT
Mid-Century Modern Italian sofa with chrome back details and original velvet upholstery. Overall the sofa is in good vintage condition.
Chrome
$7,297
H 25.6 in W 64.97 in D 33.47 in
Stunning Mantilla Sofa by Kazuhide Takahama for Simon Gavina Italy
By Simon Gavina Editions
Located in Buggenhout, Oost-Vlaanderen
Mantilla Sofa by Kazuhide Takahama for Simon Gavina, Italy, 1960s Removable Green Chenille Upholstery on Sculpted Padded Core Designed in the 1960s for Simon Gavina, the Mantilla is...
Velvet
Italian Sofa Bed, 1950s
Located in Wolfurt, AT
This Italian sofa bed was designed in the 1950s. The shapes lend elegance and modernity to the otherwise quite minimalist design. The seat is foldable...
Iron
Italian Modern Curved Sofa Attributed to Federico Munari
By Federico Munari, Carlo Guglielmi, Ico Parisi, Gio Ponti, Carlo Mollino
Located in Houston, TX
Gorgeous Italian modern curved sofa attributed to Federico Munari. Offered is a stunning mid century Italian curved sofa with splayed brass legs attributed to Federico Munari, circa....
Brass
$5,178Sale Price|60% Off
H 27.96 in W 76.38 in D 32.29 in
Midcentury Italian Lacquer Brass Living Room sofa by Romeo Rega, 1970s
By Romeo Rega
Located in Paris, IDF
This sofa from the Mid-Century Modern Italian Riviera period designed by Romeo Rega is bursting with nostalgia. With its impeccable design, perfect proportions, and high-end Italian ...
Brass
Italian Sofa Gio Ponti Style 1960s Burgundy Velvet
By Gio Ponti
Located in Ternay, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Italian banana sofa in the style of Gio Ponti. Original velvet fabric (some signs of use, see photos).
Velvet
Lips - Italian space age modular island sofa, Circa 1960s
By Space Age Products
Located in PARIS, FR
The 1960s Space Age design, influenced by space exploration and atomic era tensions, brought a futuristic twist to art, cinema, and interior design. Originating amid Cold War anxieties on the American West Coast, it combined humor and avant-garde creativity, often using 'vital forms' inspired by nuclear imagery. This style features modern, cosmic-inspired furniture with vibrant plastics, reflective metals, and curved lines, creating a futuristic ambiance reminiscent of a Stanley Kubrick film. Dominated by spherical and angular shapes, it mirrors the era's fascination with space and atomic science. Enhancing brightness and contrasting with the colorful, reflective furniture. Warm colors and silver accents add to the optimistic, futuristic vibe of this 1960s-inspired design. This sofa is an emblem of the period, refreshed with Vachette leather upholstery in anthracite, a human lips sculptural structure with an hand bar for...
Stainless Steel
Roland Hauesler wool Regain sofa
By Maison Regain
Located in Grenoble, FR
Roland Hauesler wool bench Regain France. Creation from the 70s very close to the work of Charlotte Perriand with a chalet and Japanese spirit .The Scottish wool is original in very...
Wool, Wood
Italian 18th Century Sofa in Walnut
Located in Schellebelle, BE
Beautiful Italian sofa, three seats in a bleached walnut with a great patina, new upholstery Italian Velvet of Decortex.
Walnut
$28,247Sale Price|20% Off
H 23.63 in W 122.84 in D 63 in
Environ 1 modular sofa designed by Ennio Chiggio for Nikol Internation 1970
By Ennio Chiggio
Located in Arezzo, Italy
Environ 1 modular sofa designed by Ennio Chiggio for Nikol International, 1970. Polyurethane foam frame, cotton fabric, faux leather backing, metal inserts, composed of 4 joined elem...
Cotton
$68,265
H 29.53 in W 141.74 in D 159.85 in
Environ Zero sofa by Ennio Chiggio for Nikol International, Italy, 1970's
By Ennio Chiggio
Located in Melbourne, VIC
Environ Zero sofa by Ennio Chiggio for Nikol International, Italy, 1970's. Newly Restored and upholstered in Italy.
Fabric
Sold
H 27.56 in W 94.49 in D 37.8 in
Ennio Chiggio Chaise Sofa in Mohair for Nikol International, Italy, 1970s
By Ennio Chiggio
Located in London, GB
This two-part modular sofa was designed by Ennio Chiggio (1938-2020) for Nikol Internazionale in the 1970s. The sofa creates a shell-like environment that cocoons the sitter. In g...
Wool