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.
$1,516Sale 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
$22,000 / set
H 26.19 in W 22.05 in D 22.05 in
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
$5,507Sale Price|25% Off
H 28.35 in W 78.75 in D 34.26 in
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
$5,329Sale Price|25% Off
H 32.29 in W 28.35 in D 39.38 in
Locus Solus armchair by Gae Aulenti for Poltronova, 1964
By Gae Aulenti
Located in Arezzo, Italy
Locus Solus armchair designed by Gae Aulenti for Poltronova 1964. A first production in excellent condition, restored. Structure in painted metal,...
Iron
$2,936Sale Price|20% Off
H 26.38 in Dm 22.45 in
Locus Solus chair designed by Gae Aulenti for Poltronova 1964
By Gae Aulenti
Located in Arezzo, Italy
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, ...
Metal, Chrome
$1,622 / set
H 26.78 in W 21.66 in D 21.26 in
5x Original Locus Solus Stühle Poltronova Gae Aulenti Metall design
By Poltronova, Gae Aulenti
Located in Berlin, DE
Wir bieten einen von fünf wunderschönen und sehr seltenen Armlehnstühlen des italienischen Traditionsherstellers Poltronova aus den 1960er Jahren zum Verkauf an. Das Design stammt vo...
Metal
"Locus Solus" daybed by Gae Aulenti for Poltronova, 1960s
By Gae Aulenti, Poltronova
Located in bruxelles, BE
Daybed, meridian with cushion in yellow fabric with white stitching and metal structure by Gae Aulenti. Model: Locus Solus. Wear due to time and age FOR SHIPPING, REQUEST US FOR RE...
Metal
$4,441 / set
H 26.38 in W 21.66 in D 20.87 in
Set of 4 pink Locus Solus chairs by Gae Aulenti for Poltronova, 1960s
By Poltronova, Gae Aulenti
Located in amstelveen, NL
A set of 4 lacquered metal Locus Solus chairs by Gae Aulenti for Poltronova, 1964. The round seat is perforated sheet metal. The structure, which forms the backrest, armrests, and le...
Steel
Gae Aulenti “Locus Solus” Dining Chair for Poltronova, 1964
By Gae Aulenti, Poltronova
Located in Lonigo, Veneto
Gae Aulenti “Locus Solus” Dining Chair for Poltronova, 1964 Designed in 1964 by Gae Aulenti, the “Locus Solus” dining chairs are a vivid expression of Italy’s radical design movemen...
Metal
Locus Solus Orange Loveseat by Gae Aulenti
By Exteta, Gae Aulenti
Located in Milan, IT
Part of the Locus Solus collection of outdoor furniture, this colorful loveseat boasts a retro-inspired silhouette made of tubular steel with an oblong seat upholstered with an exclusive artwork printed...
Steel
$12,000 / set
H 26.19 in W 22.05 in D 22.05 in
Gae Aulenti “Locus Solus” Dining Chairs for Poltronova, 1964, Set of 6
By Gae Aulenti, Poltronova
Located in Lonigo, Veneto
Gae Aulenti “Locus Solus” Dining Chair for Poltronova, metal, Italy, 1964, set of six Designed in 1964 by Gae Aulenti, the “Locus Solus” dining chairs are a vivid expression of Ital...
Metal
Locus Solus Yellow Chair by Gae Aulenti
By Exteta, Gae Aulenti
Located in Milan, IT
This contemporary chair delivers comfort, style, and quality in a playful and colorful silhouette suitable for any outdoor setting. The original 1964 Locus Solus Collection by Gae Au...
Steel
$4,000 / set
H 26.19 in W 22.05 in D 22.05 in
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
Sold
H 16.15 in W 21.86 in D 22.45 in
Italian mid-century Orange Footstools Locus Solus Gae Aulenti Poltronova, 1960s
By Poltronova, Gae Aulenti
Located in MIlano, IT
Beautiful and very rare Italian mid-century Orange Footstools Locus Solus by Gae Aulenti for Poltronova, 1960s Pair of footrests from the se...
Metal