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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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Creator: Gae Aulenti
Pair of Gae Aulenti & Livio Castiglioni Trepiù Table Lamps for Stilnovo, 1972
By Gae Aulenti, Livio Castiglioni, Stilnovo
Located in Milan, IT
Rare pair of Gae Aulenti & Livio Castiglioni 'Sistema Trepiù' table lamps for Stilnovo, Italy, 1972. Signed Stilnovo.  
Category

1970s Italian Modern Vintage Gae Aulenti Furniture

Materials

Aluminum, Chrome, Iron

Pair of Large Vintage Vistosi Architectural Glass Lamps by Gae Aulenti
By Vistosi, Gae Aulenti
Located in Chicago, IL
Pair of Large Vintage Vistosi Architectural Glass lamps by Gae Aulenti One has a switch on the cord, the other does not. Just plugs in. A switch can be added easily on the cord if...
Category

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

Materials

Art Glass

Locus Solus White Loveseat by Gae Aulenti
By Gae Aulenti, Exteta
Located in Milan, IT
Merging functional aspects with a Pop Art flair, the Locus Solus collection designed by Gae Aulenti marks a significant shift in interior design to reclaim the aesthetic value of out...
Category

2010s Italian Gae Aulenti Furniture

Materials

Steel

Original White and Brown Aulenti Gae Rocking Chair, 1960 Sgarsul Poltronova
By Gae Aulenti
Located in Palermo, Sicily
Original white and brown Aulenti Gae rocking chair, 1960 Sgarsul Poltronova. The general conditions are as shown in the photo.
Category

1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Gae Aulenti Furniture

Materials

Leather, Wood

"Giova" Table Lamp + Flower Pot Designed by Gae Aulenti for FontanaArte
By Fontana Arte, Gae Aulenti
Located in Brooklyn, NY
"Giova" is a refined table lamp and flower pot hybrid piece of design, designed by Gae Aulenti and manufactured by FontanaArte, featuring a chromed metal base, a middle globe in transparent blown glass, an inner globe in polished white opaline glass, an upper half-sphere in pink blown glass with decorative bubbles, black power cable, plug and switch. Its lighting source is 1 x 100W 230V E27 (HA, FL, LED). DIMENSIONS: Ø 19.7", H. 23.2" "Giova" marks the debut of Gae Aulenti in the field of lighting design. Available in two sizes, it is both a lamp and a luminous sculpture. Placed on a metal base, a transparent bowl containing a sphere of white opal glass, which in turn houses the light source. Placed above there's a smaller bowl in blown "pulegoso" glass, meaning "with irregular bubbles", which serves as a flower vase. Now also available with gray "pulegoso" glass and a gold finished base. GAE AULENTI graduated from Milan Polytechnic in 1953 and since 1956 has been working there designing for architecture, interior and industrial design and theatre scenery. In the early eighties she was the artistic director at FontanaArte, creating timeless lamps and furnishing elements for the company that are still in the catalogue. In particular: Giova lamp...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Gae Aulenti Furniture

Materials

Chrome, Gold, Metal

Tour Table with Glass Top Designed by Gae Aulenti for Fontana Arte
By Gae Aulenti, Fontana Arte
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Tour is the evolution of the table with wheels. Again with wheels, but in this case taken from bicycles, it was a surprising piece. The beveled float glass top, 0.6" thick, rests on ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Gae Aulenti Furniture

Materials

Glass

Pair of 1970s Ceiling Lights designed by Gae Aulenti, made by Vistosi, Italy
By Vistosi, Gae Aulenti
Located in London, GB
A pair of 1970s Italian design suspension lights designed by Gae Aulenti and made by Vistosi, Murano Italy. Blown glass clear blue and green murrine technique shades with original bl...
Category

1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Gae Aulenti Furniture

Materials

Enamel

Fontana Art Parola Table Lamp Designed by Gae Aulenti and Piero Castiglioni
By Fontana Arte, Gae Aulenti
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Designed by Gae Aulenti and Piero Castiglioni, the Parola lamp features three different kinds of glass working processes: opaline blown glass for the adjus...
Category

1980s Italian Modern Vintage Gae Aulenti Furniture

Materials

Blown Glass

Gae Aulenti Mid Century Modern Vintage Glass Metal Table Lamp Oracolo 1968 Italy
By Gae Aulenti
Located in Vienna, AT
Gae Aulenti Mid-Century Modern vintage table lamp from glass and metal model Oracolo designed 1968 Italy and executed by Artemide, Pregnana Milanese Italy. A white glass sphere sits...
Category

1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Gae Aulenti Furniture

Materials

Metal

Gae Aulenti Floor Light Three Shades Stilnovo, Italy, 1971
By Stilnovo, Gae Aulenti
Located in Vienna, AT
70" floor lamp by Gae Aulenti for Stilnovo (marked) with three adjustable shades, Italy circa 1975 Original Stilnovo floor light with 3 adjusta...
Category

1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Gae Aulenti Furniture

Materials

Aluminum, Chrome, Sheet Metal

"Pietra" Light by Gae Aulenti & Piero Castiglioni for Fontana Arte
By Gae Aulenti, Livio Castiglioni
Located in New York, NY
The 'Pietra' light is a rare light designed by two powerhouse designers (Aulenti & Castiglioni) in 1988. I have only seen two others in the last 20 years! The lamp is in perfect orig...
Category

20th Century Italian Gae Aulenti Furniture

Materials

Chrome

Martinelli Luce Ruspa 633/4 Table Lamp in White with Four Arm by Gae Aulenti
By Martinelli Luce, Gae Aulenti
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Table lamp with direct light and indirect, in white lacquered metal, consists of 4 articulated arms on the base with independent rotation of the reflectors on the ends of arms. For L...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Gae Aulenti Furniture

Materials

Aluminum

Martinelli Luce Ruspa 633 Table Lamp in White with One Arm by Gae Aulenti
By Martinelli Luce, Gae Aulenti
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Table lamp with direct and indirect light, in white lacquered metal, the arm is jointed on the base, two reflectors turn around the upper part of the arm each one independently from ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Gae Aulenti Furniture

Materials

Aluminum

Metal Floor Lamp by Gae Aulenti & Livio Castiglioni, Stilnovo, 1972
By Gae Aulenti, Stilnovo, Livio Castiglioni
Located in Berlin, DE
Gae Aulenti and Livio Castiglioni floor lamp for Stilnovo Italy, 1972. Chromed metal and aluminium floor lamp with cast iron base. The four round ...
Category

1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Gae Aulenti Furniture

Materials

Metal

Gae Aulenti Chandelier Crome Metal Crome Glass, 1960, Italy
By Gae Aulenti
Located in Milano, IT
Gae Aulenti chandelier crome metal crome glass, 1960, Italy.
Category

Late 20th Century Italian Other Gae Aulenti Furniture

Materials

Metal

Gae Aulenti Patroclo Lamp Italian Tinted Brown Glass and Metal Mesh Table Lamp
By Gae Aulenti
Located in Barcelona, ES
Gae Aulenti Table lamp model “Patroclo” Manufactured by Artemide Pregnana (Italy), 1975 Blown glass, metal mesh Measures; 45.72 cm x 27.94 cm x 45.72 H cm 18 in x 11 in x ...
Category

1970s Italian Vintage Gae Aulenti Furniture

Materials

Metal

King Sun Enamelled Aluminum Italian 1960s White Table Lamp by Gae Aulenti
By Gae Aulenti
Located in Barcelona, ES
Gae Aulenti  Table lamp model “King Sun” Manufactured by Kartell Italy, 1967. Enameled aluminum, acrylic. Measurements: 74 cm x 79 cm x 71 H cm. 29 in x 19.25 in x 28 H in.
Category

1960s Italian Vintage Gae Aulenti Furniture

Materials

Aluminum

Gae Aulenti Piero Castiglioni Mini-Box Table Light for Stilnovo Signed
By Gae Aulenti
Located in London, GB
Enameled metal base housing trasnsformer with adjustable magnetised reflector and halogen. In their Mini-Box table light (1980) Age Aulenti and Piero Castiglioni have created a toug...
Category

20th Century European Gae Aulenti Furniture

Materials

Steel

"Poveglia" Italian Yellow and Green Glass 1970s Table Lamp by Gae Aulenti
By Gae Aulenti
Located in Barcelona, ES
Gae Aulenti  Table lamp model “Poveglia” Manufactured by Vistosi Italy, 1969 Blown glass Measurements 38 cm diameter x 29 cm height 15 in diameter x 11.5 in height Deta...
Category

1960s Italian Vintage Gae Aulenti Furniture

Materials

Blown Glass

Mid Century Modern, Italian Floor Lamp in Yellow Lacquered Metal by Gae Aulenti
By Gae Aulenti
Located in London, GB
Modernist floor lamp in distressed lacquered metal with Perspex shade by Gae Aulenti for Poltronova. This is an early Model example of 'Locus Solus'...
Category

1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Gae Aulenti Furniture

Materials

Metal

Pair of Glass and Steel Low Tables by Gae Aulenti
By Gae Aulenti
Located in Sagaponack, NY
An excellent pair of low tables with bent grey glass tops and enameled steel frames by Gae Aulenti.
Category

1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Gae Aulenti Furniture

Materials

Glass

Italian Rocking Chair by Gae Aulenti for Poltronova
By Gae Aulenti, Poltronova
Located in Mexico City, MX
Wonderful "Sgarsul" rocking chair by Gae Aulenti for Poltronova. Lacquered wood in black with orange leather. Gae Aulenti was a prolific...
Category

1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Gae Aulenti Furniture

Materials

Leather, Wood

Rare Pair of Marble Coffee or Sofa Tables by Gae Aulenti for Knoll, Italy, 1970s
By Gae Aulenti
Located in Berlin, DE
Set of two coffee or sofa tables by Gae Aulenti for Knoll from the 1970s. Rare version with white marble table top! Very good condition with some lacquer chips on the base.
Category

1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Gae Aulenti Furniture

Materials

Marble

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

Gaetano" desk by Gae Aulenti for Zanotta
By Zanotta, Gae Aulenti
Located in Conversano, IT
The "Gateano" table/desk is a unique design piece created by the famous designer Gae Aulenti and produced by Zanotta in the 1970s. This elegant piece of furniture combines form and f...
Category

1970s Italian Vintage Gae Aulenti Furniture

Materials

Crystal, 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 & Piero Castiglioni "Parola" table lamp for Fontana Arte Italy 1980s
By Flos, Gae Aulenti
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

Gae Aulenti for Artemide Grey "Mezzo Oracolo" Table Lamp, Italy 1960s
By Artemide, Gae Aulenti
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

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

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

Gae Aulenti Chairs by Elam Model Lira Set of Four, Published
By Gae Aulenti, Elam
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

Early Jumbo Table in Golden Calacatta by Gae Aulenti for Knoll International
By Gae Aulenti, Knoll
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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