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Gae Aulenti Furniture

Italian, 1927-2012

The Italian architect and designer Gae Aulenti will forever be best remembered for her work with museums, in particular her 1980–86 renovation of a Beaux Arts Paris train station to create the galleries of the Musée d’Orsay. Aulenti — whose first name, short for Gaetana, is pronounced “guy” — should also be recalled for her tough intellectual spirit and for working steadily when few women found successful architectural careers in postwar Italy.

After she graduated from the Milan Polytechic in 1954, Aulenti opened an architectural office. She also joined the staff of the progressive architectural magazine Casabella, whose editorial line was that the establishment, orthodox modernism of Le Corbusier and the Bauhaus, had outlived it usefulness. When their movement for fresh approaches to architecture and design received a sympathetic hearing, Aulenti found patrons — most prominently Gianni Agnelli, of Fiat, who later employed her to renovate the Palazzo Grassi in Venice for use as an arts exhibition space.

Commissions for showrooms and other corporate spaces brought Aulenti to furniture design. She felt that furniture should never dominate a room. Her chairs and sofas — low-slung, with rounded enameled metal frames and ample seats — and tables, particularly her 1972 marble Jumbo coffee table for Knoll, project solidity and sturdiness. In lighting design, however, Aulenti is bravura.

Each work has a marvelous sculptural presence. Pieces such as her Pipistrello table lamp and Quadrifoglio pendant are a perfect marriage of organically shaped glass and high-tech fixtures. Others have a futuristic elegance — and some even have a touch of personality. Aulenti’s Pileino and La Ruspa table lamps each look almost like little robots. Her lighting pieces are an artful grace note in the career of a woman who believed in strength.

Find vintage Gae Aulenti armchairs, coffee tables and other furniture on 1stDibs.

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Item type: Antique and Vintage
Creator: Gae Aulenti
Leather armchair by Gae Aulenti
By Gae Aulenti
Located in PARIS, FR
Armchair from the "Orsay" series by Knoll, designed by the Italian designer Gae Aulenti (1927-2012), from the 1980s. Steel frame and leather cushions. Very good overall condition. DV82
Category

Mid-20th Century Italian Gae Aulenti Furniture

Materials

Leather

White Pipistrello Table Lamp by Gae Aulenti for Martinelli Luce
By Martinelli Luce, Gae Aulenti
Located in Lasne, BE
White lamp in metal and plastic by Gae Aulenti. Adjustable in height min: 70cm max: 90cm Stamped under the lamp.
Category

1990s Italian Mid-Century Modern Gae Aulenti Furniture

Materials

Metal

1st Ed. "Pileino" table lamp designed by Gae Aulenti for Artemide, Italy 1972
By Gae Aulenti
Located in Milano, IT
Pileino table lamp designed by Gae Aulenti for Artemide, Italy 1972. This is a rare first edition which retains the original electrical system including the blue light bulb. The "Pi...
Category

1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Gae Aulenti Furniture

Materials

Metal

Locus Solus Daybed by Gae Aulenti, circa 1970
By Gae Aulenti
Located in VILLEURBANNE, FR
Gae Aulenti is a renowned Italian architect and designer who has left a significant mark in the field of design throughout her prolific career. This daybed is one of her notable cre...
Category

Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Gae Aulenti Furniture

Materials

Steel

Lampada 'Pipistrello' Gae Aulenti per Martinelli Luce
By Gae Aulenti
Located in Milano, IT
Grande lampada da tavolo modello 'Pipistrello' disegnata da Gae Aulenti e prodotta da Martinelli Luce a partire dal 1965. Lampada regolabile in altezza mediante telescopio in acciaio...
Category

1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Gae Aulenti Furniture

Materials

Aluminum, Steel

Gae Aulenti worktable / desk, Gaetano-series for Zanotta, Italy Post-Modern
By Gae Aulenti, Zanotta
Located in Stockholm, SE
Worktable / desk with original glass top with two black and red colored metal folding saw horse legs. Model Cardine, apart of the Geatano-series designed in the 1970s by Gae Aulenti ...
Category

1970s Italian Post-Modern Vintage Gae Aulenti Furniture

Materials

Metal

Gae Aulenti for Artemide "Oracolo" Floor Lamp, Italy 1969
By Gae Aulenti, Artemide
Located in Naples, IT
Gae Aulenti Floor lamp model Oracolo. Production Artemide, Milan, 1969. Tubular structure in painted metal and perforated steel, large globe-shaped lampshade in lacquered glass.
Category

1960s European Mid-Century Modern Vintage Gae Aulenti Furniture

Materials

Metal

Gae Aulenti & Piero Castiglioni "Parola" table lamp for Fontana Arte Italy 1980s
By Gae Aulenti, Flos
Located in Skokie, IL
Gae Aulenti and Piero Castiglioni "Parola" table lamp for Fontana Arte, Italy, circa 1980s Designed by Gae Aulenti and Piero Castiglioni, the Parola lamp ...
Category

20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Gae Aulenti Furniture

Materials

Glass

Mezzoracolo table lamp by Gae Aulenti for Artemide 1969
By Gae Aulenti
Located in Arezzo, Italy
Lampada da tavolo mod. Mezzoracolo disegnata da Gae Aulenti per Artemide nel 1969. Struttura in metallo verniciato, acciaio forato, vetro opalino lattimo. Tra le opere meglio riuscit...
Category

1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Gae Aulenti Furniture

Materials

Metal

Gae Aulenti for Artemide Grey "Mezzo Oracolo" Table Lamp, Italy 1960s
By Gae Aulenti, Artemide
Located in Naples, IT
Mezzoracolo table lamp, made of brown lacquered metal, brass and white opaline glass diffuser. Perfectly preserved and functioning with internal light at the base and in the diffuser...
Category

1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Gae Aulenti Furniture

Materials

Metal, Brass

Midcentury Coffee Table Lknoll, Gae Aulenti, Italy, 1970s
By Knoll, Gae Aulenti
Located in Praha, CZ
- marked - practical - rare type.
Category

1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Gae Aulenti Furniture

Materials

Metal

Pair of Gae Aulenti '54L' White Edition Armchairs for Knoll International, 1970s
By Knoll, Gae Aulenti
Located in Zagreb, HR
Exceptionally rare and collectible, armchairs, model '54L' designed by Gae Aulenti for Knoll International. Late 1970s production, in a even more rare, all white edition. Iconic des...
Category

1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Gae Aulenti Furniture

Materials

Metal

Gaetano Table by Gae Aulenti for Zanotta 80s-90s
By Gae Aulenti
Located in Milano, IT
Table, base with 2 lockable aluminum trestles, glass top.
Category

Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Gae Aulenti Furniture

Materials

Aluminum

Gae Aulenti Chairs by Elam Model Lira Set of Four, Published
By Elam, Gae Aulenti
Located in Milano, IT
Modern set of four chairs designed by Gae Aulenti for the ELAM manufacture in the 1970s. The chairs are the very rare LIRA model. The chair set is made with a curved chrome metal frame that makes the seat energetic bright. Its modern curved lines give the chair modernity and futurism. The seat and back are made of light brown leather. On the sides of the leather backrest we see stitched the logo of the ELAM manufacture designer's trademark and pattern. They are also published in several catalogs. The leather seat , as noted below it, is anchored to the frame with steel strings. The chairs are ideal for modern living rooms...
Category

1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Gae Aulenti Furniture

Materials

Metal

Locus Solus by Gae Aulenti, green set
By Gae Aulenti
Located in Milano, Lombardia
Made of steel and fabrics with original and unprecedented patterns, Locus Solus is a reissue of a collection designed by the unpredictable flair of Gae Aulenti in 1964. The retro des...
Category

1960s Post-Modern Vintage Gae Aulenti Furniture

Materials

Aluminum

Early Jumbo Table in Golden Calacatta by Gae Aulenti for Knoll International
By Knoll, Gae Aulenti
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This pièce de résistance is considered the holy grail of 'Jumbo' cocktail tables due to the rare golden Calacatta marble which features dramatic veins in golds and greys. The 'Jumbo' table is already extremely sought after and original early production examples are extremely rare. The white, grey and gold Calacatta marble is the most sought after due to the deep gold veining - and this particular example is an original early production example with a copy of the original receipt provided to us by the original buyer / owner, ideal for a collector or an interior designer who has a client who wants only the best of the best. One thing we really love about this example is the dark almost black veins that look like lightning emanating from one corner like a work of art. Produced by Knoll International, the 'Jumbo' cocktail table was designed by Gae Aulenti in 1965, originally for Gavina Italy. This example was produced in the late 1980s and sold in 1990, per the original receipt. You can also see in the photos that there is age appropriate coloration to the marble which takes many decades to develop and you don't see in new and newer year productions. Most of the ones you see online, including on 1sDibs, the dealers will list as "1960s" production however you can tell that they were made in more recent years making them not desirable for collectors. Dealers do this because it allows them to list for a higher price however they often have no documentation to support their 1960s production claim. Therefore savvy collectors look for age in the marble and/or documentation to decipher when the table was made and if it is a collectors example which is worth much much more than new and newer examples. Perfect fit for a Postmodern or Mid-Century Modern home, this Jumbo table by Gae Aulenti for Knoll International in white gold and gray Calacatta marble would also work great in a Contemporary or Transitional home or office. Also consider a splash of juxtaposition in a Traditional, Classical, French, Spanish, Mediterranean, Mixed-Style, Asian, or Minimalistic styled room. Great for a designer residential or commercial project, due to its strength and sturdiness, would be apt for a hotel, lobby lounge, restaurant, retail boutique...
Category

1980s American Modern Vintage Gae Aulenti Furniture

Materials

Marble

Gae Aulenti furniture for sale on 1stDibs.

Gae Aulenti furniture are available for sale on 1stDibs. These distinctive items are frequently made of metal and are designed with extraordinary care. There are many options to choose from in our collection of Gae Aulenti furniture, although brown editions of this piece are particularly popular. We have 220 vintage editions of these items in-stock, while there is 41 modern edition to choose from as well. Many of the original furniture by Gae Aulenti were created in the mid-century modern style in europe during the 20th century. If you’re looking for additional options, many customers also consider furniture by Tommaso Barbi, Toni Zuccheri, and Luigi Caccia Dominioni. Prices for Gae Aulenti furniture can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $540 and can go as high as $33,395, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $3,894.

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