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 Locus Solus Dining Room Set in Steel and Leather by Poltronova 1970s
By Gae Aulenti, Poltronova
Located in Cascina, Pisa
Locus Solus set is composed of four chairs with a structure in tubular steel a seat in padded leather and a table with a frame in tubular steel and a glass table top. The Locus Sol...
Metal, Steel
$11,752Sale Price|20% Off
Locus Solus, Gae Aulenti, Orange Set with 4 Chairs
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...
Aluminum
70s Gae Aulenti Knoll Black Orsay Square Mod 54 Table + 4 Blk Leather Chairs SET
By Knoll, Gae Aulenti
Located in Basel, BS
The listing includes an exceptionally rare complete dining set consisting of a black square table and four matching black leather armchairs designed in 1969 for Knoll International. ...
Aluminum
1970s Mid Century Dining Room Set of 7
Located in North Hollywood, CA
This 1970s dining set is a striking example of American mid-century design, combining timeless style with thoughtful functionality. The set features a solid wooden dining table with ...
Wood
$1,081Sale Price|20% Off
H 14.97 in W 27.56 in D 29.53 in
Gae Aulenti Laminate and Purple Metal Italian Coffee Table for Zanotta, 1970s
By Zanotta, Gae Aulenti
Located in Roma, IT
Amazing midcentury laminate and purple enamel metal coffee table. This fantastic piece was designed in Italy by Gae Aulenti for Zanotta during the 1970s. This stunning straight-lined table with a clean enamelled metal frame with a light purple laminate formica top is in a stunning vintage condition. A wonderful item is perfect to complete a mid-century minimal living room...
Crystal, Metal
$4,948 / set
H 28.15 in Dm 51.19 in
Dining Room Set with Table and Four Chairs by Giotto Stoppino, Italy 1970s
By Giotto Stoppino
Located in Hellouw, NL
Very nice dining room set by Giotto Stoppino from the 1970s in Italy. This set consists of a dining table and four matching dining room chairs. The table has a tubular, chrome-plated...
Metal, Chrome
Gae Aulenti Locus Solus table for Poltronova Italy, 1960s
By Gae Aulenti, Poltronova
Located in Skokie, IL
Gae Aulenti Locus Solus table for Poltronova Italy, 1960s Dimensions: 28" h x 33 1/2" w x 33 1/2" d Condition: Frame is excellent. Glass shows foggy area and some scratching ...
Steel
Gae Aulenti, orange lacquered garden table
Located in Saint-Didier, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Gae Aulenti, orange lacquered garden table Dimensions: length 80 cm (31,5 inches) x width 80 cm (31,5 inches) x height 80 cm (31,5 inches) material : steel painted in epoxy (treated ...
Lacquer
Rare Midcentury Coffee Table Orsay, Knoll, Gae Aulenti
Located in Praha, CZ
- rare type - marked by label
Metal
Scrivania Gaetano per Zanotta di Gae Aulenti
By Gae Aulenti, Zanotta
Located in Ghedi, IT
The Gaetano desk, designed by Gae Aulenti for Zanotta in 1973, is a minimalist masterpiece embodying Italian design innovation. Its sleek, functional form features a transparent glas...
Glass
$4,500
H 12.008 in W 43.504 in D 43.504 in
‘Tavolino Com Route" Coffee Table by Gae Aulenti, Italy, 1980’s
By Gae Aulenti
Located in Chicago, IL
‘Tavolino Com Route" coffee table by Gae Aulenti, Italy 1980’s black granite top, black lacquered wood frame, and large industrial wheels.
Granite
$15,750
H 14 in W 44.5 in D 44.5 in
Mid-Century Gae Aulenti Jumbo Coffee Table, Arabescato Marble for Knoll
By Knoll, Gae Aulenti
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Jumbo coffee table designed by Italian architect Gae Aulenti in 1965 for Gavina, later acquired by Knoll in 1972. Sculptural piece constructed entirely from Arabescato marble with fo...
Marble
Gae Aulenti Enamel Steel Lounge Coffee Table for Knoll, 1980
By Gae Aulenti, Knoll
Located in Vienna, AT
Enamel metal sculptural coffee table designed by Gae Aulenti for Knoll, original label. We got this from the first owner together with pair of matching original chairs from the same series (check our other listings). It's a heavy metal sculptural coffee table in a great size of 34"x34". The steel frame has light scratches and age related wear. The coated table top has light scratches and patina, sturdy and structurally sound, ready to be used immediately. In recent years Gae (pronounced "Guy...
Steel
$12,810
H 14.18 in W 44.49 in D 44.49 in
"Jumbo" Coffee Table from Carrara Marble - Gae Aulenti for Knoll, Italy, 1965
By Knoll, Gae Aulenti
Located in Rosendahl, DE
Sculptural Carrara Marble Icon by Gae Aulenti for Knoll, Italy, 1960s Designed by Gae Aulenti in 1965 for Knoll International, the “Jumbo” coffee table is a bold statement of Italia...
Carrara Marble
$18,000Sale Price|20% Off
H 14 in W 45 in D 45 in
Gae Aulenti Jumbo Coffee Table, Arabescato Marble, Knoll, 1960's
By Knoll, Gae Aulenti
Located in Culver City, CA
Gae Aulenti for Knoll “Jumbo” Table, circa 1960s in Arabescato marble *Note on material: Arabescato marble ≠ Carrara. While often confused, Arabescato is...
Marble
Tavolo e 4 sedie Orsay di Gae Aulenti per Knoll International
By Gae Aulenti, Knoll
Located in Ghedi, IT
Il tavolo Orsay, disegnato da Gae Aulenti, si distingue per la sua struttura essenziale ma di forte impatto visivo. La base è realizzata in alluminio pressofuso con finitura vernicia...
Aluminum
Gae Aulenti Locus Solus dining set for Poltronova, Italy, 1964
By Gae Aulenti, Poltronova
Located in Chiavari, Liguria
Tubular metal garden set consisting of a table and four armchairs, model Locus Solus, designed by Gae Aulenti, produced by Poltronova in 1964. A painted metal tube unpredictably ben...
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...
Aluminum
1960s Gae Aulenti Tubular “Locus Solus” Dining Set for Poltronova
By Gae Aulenti, Poltronova
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Tubular dining table and four chairs by Gae Aulenti for Poltronova. The steel is sandblasted and acrylic coated, the tabletop is glass and the sea...
Enamel
Sold
H 28.35 in W 43.31 in D 43.31 in
1970s Gae Aulenti Knoll Squared Black Wood Table Four Brown Velvet Chairs
By Gae Aulenti, Knoll
Located in IT
Knoll black wood table and brown velvet chairs Designed by Gae Aulenti and made by Knoll in 1970s period, this table features black rolled steel fr...
Metal
Sold
H 29.14 in W 57.09 in D 57.09 in
Midcentury Dining Set Orsay Designed by Gae Aulenti for Knoll International
By Gae Aulenti
Located in Doornspijk, NL
Very rare version of the Orsay series designed in 1969 by Gae Aulenti for Knoll International. The square table is very spacious (57 inch x 57 inch / 145 cm x 145 cm). It is made of...
Carrara Marble, Aluminum
Sold
H 29.14 in W 57.09 in D 57.09 in
Midcentury Dining Set Orsay designed by Gae Aulenti for Knoll International
By Gae Aulenti
Located in Doornspijk, NL
Very rare version of the Orsay series designed in 1969 by Gae Aulenti for Knoll International. The square table is very spacious (57 inch x 57 inch / 145 cm x 145 cm). It is made of...
Carrara Marble, Aluminum
1976 Aluminium Table and four Chairs by Gae Aulenti for Knoll
By Gae Aulenti, Knoll
Located in IT
The Italian designer Aulenti collaborated a lot with Knoll. Her (second) design project for Knoll, introduced as the Aulenti Collection in 1976 from which the table and chairs in ob...
Aluminum
Model No. 54A Dining Set by Gae Aulenti for Knoll International
By Gae Aulenti, Knoll
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Created by one of the few female members of the postwar Italian modern movement, Gae Aulenti for Knoll International, circa 1970. This complete burgundy dining...
Metal