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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
Recognized Seller Listings
Gae Aulenti for Poltronova 'Locus Solus' Daybed in Chrome-Plated Steel
By Poltronova, Gae Aulenti
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Gae Aulenti for Poltronova Production, daybed model 'Locus Solus', chrome-plated steel, Larsen fabric, Italy, 1964 This daybed by Gae Aulenti is part of the 'Locus Solus' series cr...
Category

1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Gae Aulenti Furniture

Materials

Steel, Chrome

20th Century Gae Aulenti Artemide Table Lamp Mod. Mezzo Oracolo, 1960s
By Artemide, Gae Aulenti
Located in Turin, Turin
Gaetana "Gae" Aulenti (1927-2012) graduated in architecture in Milan in 1954. A decade-long collaboration with the historic magazine Casabella-Continuity (1955-1965) proved crucial t...
Category

1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Gae Aulenti Furniture

Materials

Metal

Gae Aulenti for Francesconi ‘Singa’ Lamp
By Gae Aulenti
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Gae Aulenti for Francesconi, ‘Singa’ lamp, plastic, steel, chrome-plated steel, Italy, 1975 This rare ‘Singa’ lamp is designed by Italian architect and designer Gae Aulenti for Ita...
Category

1970s Italian Post-Modern Vintage Gae Aulenti Furniture

Materials

Steel, Chrome

Gae Aulenti for Poltronova 'Locus Solus' Daybed in Red Steel
By Poltronova, Gae Aulenti
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Gae Aulenti for Poltronova Production, daybed model 'Locus Solus', red laquered steel, Italy, 1964 This daybed by Gae Aulenti is part of the 'Locus Solus' series created in 1964. T...
Category

1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Gae Aulenti Furniture

Materials

Steel

"Tau" Metal Table with Glass Top by Gae Aulenti for La Rinascente, Italy, 1970s
By La Rinascente, Gae Aulenti
Located in Milan, IT
"Tau" desk / table by Gae Aulenti for La Rinascente. Thick glass top on a sturdy brushed metal frame with underlined construction details.
Category

1970s Italian Vintage Gae Aulenti Furniture

Materials

Metal

20th Century Gae Aulenti for Poltronova Table mod. Locus Solus
By Poltronova, Gae Aulenti
Located in Turin, Turin
Gae Aulenti was an Italian designer and architect who was active in furniture design, graphic design, lighting design and interior design. She was known for her contribution to the d...
Category

1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Gae Aulenti Furniture

Materials

Steel

20th Century Gae Aulenti Set of Four Chairs mod. Locus Solus
By Poltronova, Gae Aulenti
Located in Turin, Turin
Gae Aulenti was an Italian designer and architect who was active in furniture design, graphic design, lighting design and interior design. She was known for her contribution to the d...
Category

1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Gae Aulenti Furniture

Materials

Steel

Gae Aulenti for Poltronova 'Stringa' Sofa
By Poltronova, Gae Aulenti
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Gae Aulenti for Poltranova, sofa model 'Stringa', leather, chromed metal, blue fabric upholstery, Italy, 1962 'Stringa' sofa designed by Gae Aulenti for Poltranova in 1962. A tubula...
Category

1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Gae Aulenti Furniture

Materials

Metal, Chrome

Midcentury Giova lamp by Gae Aulenti for Fontana Arte, Italy, 1964
By Fontana Arte, Gae Aulenti
Located in Piacenza, Italy
Giova lamp by Gae Aulenti for Fontana Arte, 1964. Hybrid between a vase and a lamp, Giova marks the debut of Gae Aulenti in the field of designer lighting. A real luminous sculpture ...
Category

1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Gae Aulenti Furniture

Materials

Glass

Tour 3005 - High Table W/4 Wheels by Gae Aulenti, Fontana Arte
By Gae Aulenti, Fontana Arte
Located in Beverly Hills, CA
Tour is the evolution of the Table with Wheels. Again with wheels, but in this case taken from bicycles, it was a surprising piece.
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Gae Aulenti Furniture

Materials

Glass

Gae Aulenti for Zanotta Set of Eight 'April' Chairs in Original Leather
By Gae Aulenti, Zanotta
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Gae Aulenti for Zanotta, set of eight 'April' folding armchairs, chrome-plated steel, aluminum, saddle leather, Italy, 1964 Gae Aulenti revolutionized the traditional notion of the ...
Category

1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Gae Aulenti Furniture

Materials

Aluminum, Steel, Chrome

Gae Aulenti for Kartell ‘King Sun’ in Perspex and Red-Orange Aluminum
By Gae Aulenti, Kartell
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Gae Aulenti for Kartell, ‘King Sun’ lamp, Perspex, enameled aluminum, Italy, 1967 This ‘King Sun’ lighting object is created by Gae Aulenti f...
Category

1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Gae Aulenti Furniture

Materials

Aluminum

20th Century Gae Aulenti Floor Lamp Mod. Oracolo for Artemide, 1960s
By Artemide, Gae Aulenti
Located in Turin, Turin
Gaetana "Gae" Aulenti (1927-2012) graduated in architecture in Milan in 1954. A decade-long collaboration with the historic magazine Casabella-Continuity (1955-1965) proved crucial t...
Category

1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Gae Aulenti Furniture

Materials

Metal

Gae Aulenti Table Lamps Model Pipistrello Produced by Martinelli Luce
By Gae Aulenti
Located in Limhamn, Skåne län
Very rare pair and tall table lamps model Pipistrello designed by Gae Aulenti. Produced by Martinelli Luce in Italy. Height: 71-87 cm.
Category

1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Gae Aulenti Furniture

Materials

Metal

"Glicine" Murano Glass Vase by Gae Aulenti for Vistosi, Italy, 1980s
By Vistosi, Gae Aulenti
Located in Milan, IT
"Glicine" vase by Gae Aulenti for Vistosi Large piece featuring Peacock traditional glass decoration.
Category

1980s Italian Vintage Gae Aulenti Furniture

Materials

Murano Glass

Gae Aulenti Table Lamp in Plexiglass and Metal
By Gae Aulenti
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Gae Aulenti table lamp, plexiglass, metal, Italy, ca 1970 A charming table lamp designed by Gae Aulenti in 1970. This light has a metal base and a chrome plated sphere, in the spher...
Category

1970s Italian Post-Modern Vintage Gae Aulenti Furniture

Materials

Metal

Martinelli Luce LED Minipipistrello 620/J Table Lamp by Gae Aulenti
By Gae Aulenti, Martinelli Luce
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Mini version of the Pipistrello lamp designed by Gae Aulenti in 1965. Table lamp diffused lighting. Glazed stainless steel structure, white opal methacrylate diffuser. Base and knob...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Gae Aulenti Furniture

Materials

Stainless Steel

Early Gae Aulenti Yellow 'Locus Solus' Bench
By Gae Aulenti, Poltronova
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Gae Aulenti for Poltronova, 'Locus Solus' bench, lacquered tubular steel, fabric, Italy, 1964 Italian designer Gae Aulenti designed the ‘Locus Solus’ seri...
Category

1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Gae Aulenti Furniture

Materials

Steel

Zanotta April Folding Chair in VIP Seat and Stainless Steel Frame by Gae Aulenti
By Gae Aulenti, Zanotta
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Zanotta April Folding Chair in VIP Seat and Stainless Steel Frame by Gae Aulenti Folding chair. Frame in black or white painted steel. Nylon seat and ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Gae Aulenti Furniture

Materials

Stainless Steel

Martinelli Luce Dimmable LED Pipistrello 620 Table Lamp by Gae Aulenti
By Gae Aulenti, Martinelli Luce
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Designed in 1965 by Gae Aulenti for Martinelli Luce, the lamp is made with innovative techniques for the diffuser in methacrylate for the time in which it was designed. The shape of ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Gae Aulenti Furniture

Materials

Stainless Steel

Tavolo Con Ruote Low Table with Glass Top by Gae Aulenti for Fontana Arte
By Gae Aulenti, Fontana Arte
Located in Brooklyn, NY
An Industrial trolley used at the Fontana Arte plant to transport glass: This was the object that inspired Gae Aulenti to design her Tavolo con Ruote. Thi...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Gae Aulenti Furniture

Materials

Glass

1970s Italian "Patroclo" Table Lamp by Gae Aulenti for Artemide
By Artemide, Gae Aulenti
Located in Sagaponack, NY
An uncommon blown glass 'Patroclo' table lamp.
Category

1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Gae Aulenti Furniture

Materials

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

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

Martinelli Luce Ruspa 633/4 Table Lamp in White with Four Arm by Gae Aulenti
By Gae Aulenti, Martinelli Luce
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

"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

Martinelli Luce Ruspa 633 Table Lamp in White with One Arm by Gae Aulenti
By Gae Aulenti, Martinelli Luce
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

Venini Geacolor Glass Vase in Multi-Color Swirls by Gae Aulenti
By Gae Aulenti, Venini
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Geacolor glass vase, designed by Gae Aulenti and manufactured by Venini, was originally produced in 1995. Indoor use only. Dimensions: Ø 30 cm.
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Gae Aulenti Furniture

Materials

Glass

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

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

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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