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Gae Aulenti Daybeds

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
Locus Solus Daybed by Gae Aulenti for Poltronova
Locus Solus Daybed by Gae Aulenti for Poltronova

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...

Category

1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Gae Aulenti Daybeds

Materials

Steel

Gae Aulenti, Kuka, Daybed, Zanotta, 1970s
Gae Aulenti, Kuka, Daybed, Zanotta, 1970s

Gae Aulenti, Kuka, Daybed, Zanotta, 1970s

By Gae Aulenti, Zanotta

Located in Paris, FR

Gae Aulenti Kuka A very rare square daybed covered with a light grey fabric. The removable head rest behind two rectangular cushions, the seat with two ...

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1970s Italian Modern Vintage Gae Aulenti Daybeds

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Locus Solus chair designed by Gae Aulenti for Poltronova 1964. An early production in good condition, restored bouclé seat. Chrome metal frame, cotton. The chair has slight defects, ...

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By Poltronova, Gae Aulenti

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Gae Aulenti «Locus Solus» Daybed
Gae Aulenti «Locus Solus» Daybed

Gae Aulenti «Locus Solus» Daybed

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Gae Aulenti for Poltronova 'Locus Solus' day bed in chromed steel

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Gae Aulenti for Poltronova 'Locus Solus' day bed in chromed steel Locus Solus has a tubular structure, which is shaped by bending to form the backrest and armrests. The seat is made...

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"Locus Solus" daybed by Gae Aulenti for Poltronova, 1960s
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Locus Solus Daybed by Gae Aulenti, circa 1970

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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...

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Gae Aulenti Locus Solus daybed for Poltronova, Italy 1964
Gae Aulenti Locus Solus daybed for Poltronova, Italy 1964

Gae Aulenti Locus Solus daybed for Poltronova, Italy 1964

By Poltronova, Gae Aulenti

Located in London, GB

Gae Aulenti (1927-2012) was a renowned Italian architect, famous for key cultural landmarks – the Musée d’Orsay (1980–86), the Contemporary Art Gallery at the Centre Pompidou in Paris and the restoration of Palazzo Grassi in Venice (1985–86). Often straying from architecture into furniture, exhibitions, graphic and interiors, her design ethos is best understood in her own words: “Advice to whoever asks me how to make a home is to not have anything, just a few shelves for books, some pillows to sit on… to take a stand against the ephemeral, against passing trends [and] return to lasting values.” With the Locus Solus daybed...

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1960s Italian Vintage Gae Aulenti Daybeds

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Gae Aulenti «Locus Solus» Daybed
Gae Aulenti «Locus Solus» Daybed

Gae Aulenti «Locus Solus» Daybed

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H 27.56 in W 78.75 in D 26.78 in

Gae Aulenti «Locus Solus» Daybed

By Gae Aulenti

Located in Forest, BE

This bed was designed by the Italian architect Gae Aulenti, as a representative work of her designs. The name “Locus Solus” comes from a novel by the French writer Raymond Roussel. I...

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1960s Italian Vintage Gae Aulenti Daybeds

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Steel

Gae Aulenti daybeds for sale on 1stDibs.

Gae Aulenti daybeds 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 daybeds, although gray editions of this piece are particularly popular. Many of the original daybeds by Gae Aulenti were created in the mid-century modern style in italy during the 20th century. If you’re looking for additional options, many customers also consider daybeds by Zanotta, Sormani, and Mario Bellini. Prices for Gae Aulenti daybeds can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $5,391 and can go as high as $10,978, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $9,450.

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