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.
Gae Aulenti Orange "Locus Solus" Armchair for Poltronova, Italy, 1967
By Poltronova, Gae Aulenti
Located in Vicenza, IT
Locus Solus armchair designed by Gae Aulenti for Poltronova and produced in Italy in 1967. Introduced in 1967, the Locus Solus collection is one of the defining icons of Italian Rad...
Metal
Arcata Loveseat by Gae Aulenti in Walnut and Burgundy Leather, Italy, 1968
By Poltronova, Gae Aulenti
Located in Antwerp, BE
Designed in 1968 by Gae Aulenti for Poltronova, the Arcata loveseat embodies the architect’s distinctive approach to furniture as spatial structure. The piece is defined by its solid...
Leather, Walnut
$21,920Sale Price / set|20% Off
Living Room Set by Gae Aulenti in Walnut and Burgundy Leather, Italy, 1968
By Gae Aulenti, Poltronova
Located in Antwerp, BE
Designed by Gae Aulenti, the Arcata seating set comprises armchairs, a loveseat, and a three-seater sofa, conceived as a unified architectural ensemble. Each piece is defined by a sc...
Leather, Walnut
1980s Gae Aulenti for Knoll Orsay Two Seat Loveseat Sofa in Black
By Gae Aulenti
Located in Philadelphia, PA
This is an ‘Orsay’ Love Seat, initially designed by Gae Aulenti for Knoll International in 1974. This particular example dates to the 1980s. The design features an enameled-stee...
Enamel, Aluminum
Gae Aulenti for Poltronova Set of 4 Chairs "Locus Solus," Italy 1964
By Gae Aulenti, Poltronova
Located in Naples, IT
Locus Solus is a series of outdoor furniture designed by architect Gae Aulenti in 1967, produced by Poltronova, Zanotta and later acquired by Exteta. The elements of the series are: ...
Metal
Pair of Gae Aulenti Orange "Locus Solus" Armchairs for Poltronova, Italy, 1967
By Gae Aulenti, Poltronova
Located in Vicenza, IT
Pair of Locus Solus armchairs designed by Gae Aulenti for Poltronova and produced in Italy in 1967. Introduced in 1967, the Locus Solus collection is one of the defining icons of It...
Metal
Gae Aulenti Orange "Locus Solus" Armchairs for Poltronova, Italy, 1967, Set of 6
By Poltronova, Gae Aulenti
Located in Vicenza, IT
Set of six Locus Solus armchairs designed by Gae Aulenti for Poltronova and produced in Italy in 1967. Introduced in 1967, the Locus Solus collection is one of the defining icons of...
Metal
Gae Aulenti per Elam Gruppo di 4 Sedie "Cassiopea", Italia 1976
By Gae Aulenti, Elam
Located in Naples, IT
Set di quattro sedie modello Cassiopea, disegnato da Gae Aulenti per Elam, Meda. Italia 1976 Queste sedie hanno una struttura in tubolare d'acciaio cromato e seduta e schienale in c...
Steel
Gae Aulenti Sgarsul Rocking Chair for Poltronova 1960s
By Gae Aulenti
Located in Byron Bay, NSW
Experience the epitome of Italian design with this exquisite Aulenti Sgarsul rocking chair by Poltronova. Designed by the renowned Gae Aulenti, this iconic piece combines elegance an...
Leather
Original 4er Set Knoll Orsay Stühle Gae Aulenti Stuhl Leder Design
By Knoll, Gae Aulenti
Located in Berlin, DE
Wir bieten ein wunderschönes 4er Set original Knoll "Orsay" Stühle aus den 1970er Jahren zum Verkauf an. Die Stühle wurden professionell komplett neu aufgearbeitet. Während das Leder...
Aluminum
Gae Aulenti "Sgarsul" Rocking Chair for Poltronova, 1960s
By Gae Aulenti, Poltronova
Located in Quarrata, IT
An iconic piece of mid-century Italian design, the "Sgarsul" rocking chair was designed by architect and designer Gae Aulenti for Poltronova in 1962. Marking Aulenti’s brilliant debu...
Leather, Wood
Gae Aulenti “Locus Solus” Dining Chairs for Poltronova, Black, 1964, Set of 8
By Gae Aulenti, Poltronova
Located in Lonigo, Veneto
Gae Aulenti “Locus Solus” dining chairs for Poltronova, metal, Italy, 1964, set of eight Designed in 1964 by Gae Aulenti, the “Locus Solus” dining chairs are a vivid expression of I...
Metal
Gae Aulenti “Locus Solus” Dining Chairs for Poltronova, 1964, Set of 10
By Poltronova, Gae Aulenti
Located in Lonigo, Veneto
Gae Aulenti “Locus Solus” dining chairs for Poltronova, metal, Italy, 1964, set of ten Designed in 1964 by Gae Aulenti, the “Locus Solus” dining chairs are a vivid expression of Ita...
Metal
$1,497Sale Price|20% Off
Italian Mid-Century Yellow Footstool Locus Solus Gae Aulenti Poltronova, 1960s
By Poltronova, Gae Aulenti
Located in MIlano, IT
Italian mid-century yellow footstool Locus Solus by Gae Aulenti for Poltronova, 1960s Footrest from the series Locus Solus in yellow painted...
Metal
Gae Aulenti “Locus Solus” Dining Chairs for Poltronova, Black, 1964, Set of 4
By Gae Aulenti, Poltronova
Located in Lonigo, Veneto
Gae Aulenti “Locus Solus” dining chairs for Poltronova, black metal, Italy, 1964, set of four Designed in 1964 by Gae Aulenti, the “Locus Solus” dining chairs are a vivid expression...
Metal
"Locus Solus" High Stool by Gae Aulenti, Poltronova
By Gae Aulenti
Located in Tokyo, Tokyo
The "Locus Solus" stool, designed by the renowned architect and designer Gae Aulenti in the 1960s, stands as a hallmark of modern Italian design. Known for her ability to blend art a...
Metal
Gae Aulenti “Locus Solus” Dining Chairs for Poltronova, 1964, Set of 4
By Poltronova, Gae Aulenti
Located in Lonigo, Veneto
Gae Aulenti “Locus Solus” Dining Chair for Poltronova, 1964, set of four Designed in 1964 by Gae Aulenti, the “Locus Solus” dining chairs are a vivid expression of Italy’s radical d...
Metal
Gae Aulenti “Locus Solus” Dining Chairs for Poltronova, Black, 1964, Set of 10
By Gae Aulenti, Poltronova
Located in Lonigo, Veneto
Gae Aulenti “Locus Solus” dining chairs for Poltronova, black metal, Italy, 1964, set of ten Designed in 1964 by Gae Aulenti, the “Locus Solus” dining chairs are a vivid expression ...
Metal
$7,600Sale Price|20% Off
Three-Seater 'Arcata' by Gae Aulenti, Walnut and Burgundy Leather, Italy, 1968
By Gae Aulenti, Poltronova
Located in Antwerp, BE
Designed in 1968 by Gae Aulenti for Poltronova, the Arcata three-seater sofa represents the most expansive expression of the series. The piece is defined by its solid wooden structur...
Leather, Walnut
Gae Aulenti “Locus Solus” Dining Chairs for Poltronova, 1964, Set of 2
By Gae Aulenti, Poltronova
Located in Lonigo, Veneto
Gae Aulenti “Locus Solus” Dining Chair for Poltronova, 1964, set of two Designed in 1964 by Gae Aulenti, the “Locus Solus” dining chairs are a vivid expression of Italy’s radical de...
Metal
Locus Solus Daybed by Gae Aulenti for Poltronova
By Gae Aulenti, Poltronova
Located in Wien, AT
The Locus Solus daybed, designed in 1964 by the influential Italian architect and designer Gae Aulenti for Poltronova, is a striking example of 1960s avant-garde design. With its tub...
Steel