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.
"Sanmarco" Steel and Glass Coffee Table by Gae Aulenti for Zanotta, Italy, 1980s
By Zanotta, Gae Aulenti
Located in Milan, IT
"Sanmarco" model 685 coffee table by Gae Aulenti for Zanotta. Chrome-plated frame and long movable glass top.
Steel
$9,108Sale Price / item|20% Off
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 four pivoting wheels attached to four stainless steel plates...
Glass
Jumbo Coffee Table by Gae Aulenti for Knoll International, Italy, circa 1960s
By Gae Aulenti
Located in Lewes, East Sussex
Superb original Jumbo Coffee Table, in Italian marble, by Gae Aulenti for Knoll International, Italy, 1960s. A good example of this table in very good condition. Ships worldwide.
Marble
Jumbo Marble Coffee Table by Gae Aulenti for Knoll International 1960s
By Knoll, Gae Aulenti
Located in Aachen, NW
Fine and elegant coffee table model "Jumbo" by Gae Aulenti for Knoll International. Made in Italy. This edition comes with the very elegant and one of the most expensive Statuario M...
Marble
Mid-Century Modern Coffee Table by Gae Aulenti, Glass Top, Italy
By Fontana Arte, Gae Aulenti
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
A vintage Mid-Century Modern coffee table ( tavolo con route ) from Gae Aulenti, the original for Fontana Arte, with glass top and swivel wheels in good condition. The Italian indust...
Glass, Rubber
$1,624
H 12.6 in W 31.5 in D 31.5 in
"Marcuso" Square Chrome Coffee Table by Marco Zanuso for Zanotta, Italy 1970s
By Marco Zanuso, Zanotta
Located in Roma, IT
Wonderful Mid-Century “Marcuso” square coffee in chrome plated metal completed by a thick square shaped glass. This stylish table designed by Marco Zanuso and produced by Zanotta in ...
Crystal, Chrome
Gae Aulenti for Zanotta "Gaetano" Writing Table, Italy 1970s
By Zanotta, Gae Aulenti
Located in Naples, IT
Gaetano work table by Gae Aulenti for Zanotta with original glass top supported by two folding trestles in black and red enamelled metal. Timeless object. With its dry and essential ...
Metal
Achille Castiglioni for Zanotta "Servomuto" coffee table, Italy 1970s
By Achille Castiglioni, Zanotta
Located in Naples, IT
Servomuto coffee table from the Servi collection by Achille Castiglioni for Zanotta, 1974. Servomute, light and easy to move, it is the worthy heir to Franco Albini's essential, eleg...
Steel
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
$13,113
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
$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
$1,920Sale Price|20% Off
H 9.75 in W 55 in D 27.5 in
Gae Aulenti Tavolo Con Ruote Low Glass Coffee Table on Casters for Fontana Arte
By Fontana Arte, Gae Aulenti
Located in Miami, FL
Designed by Gae Aulenti, this low coffee table consists of a tempered glass top supported by four black industrial wheels and was produced by Fontana Arte and imported by Luminaire. ...
Steel
$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
$14,950
H 14.57 in W 48.82 in D 49.22 in
Gae Aulenti Jumbo Coffee Table for Knoll International in White Carrara Marble.
By Knoll, Gae Aulenti
Located in Almelo, NL
Gae Aulenti Jumbo Coffee Table for Knoll International in White Carrara Marble, Italy 1970s This Mid-Century coffee table is a stunning piece crafted from exquisite White Carrara Ma...
Marble
Fontana Arte, Side Table, Walnut, Glass, Italy, 1960s
By Fontana Arte
Located in High Point, NC
A walnut and smoked glass side table designed and produced by Fontana Arte, Italy, 1960s. Minor scuffing to legs. Overall Dimensions (inches): 12.7"H x 22.5"W x 18.5"D All items s...
Glass, Walnut
Pair of Glass and Steel Low Tables by Gae Aulenti, 1970s
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.
Glass
Sold
H 14.18 in W 44.49 in D 44.49 in
Jumbo Coffee Table by Gae Aulenti for Knoll International, Italy, circa 1960s
By Gae Aulenti
Located in Lewes, East Sussex
Superb original Jumbo Coffee Table by Gae Aulenti for Knoll International, Italy, 1960s. In very good vintage condition. Wonderful subtle veining to the marble. A very nice example o...
Marble
Document Holder Tables by Gae Aulenti for Pierluigi Ghianda
By Gae Aulenti, Pierluigi Ghianda
Located in Milano, IT
Gorgeous pair of wooden side tables designed by Gae Aulenti in the 60's for the fine Italian manufacture Pierluigi Ghianda. The bedside tables are totally made of wood, with rectang...
Metal
Gae Aulenti Style Coffee Table With Wheels
By Gae Aulenti
Located in Antwerp, BE
Post-modern Coffee table in the style of Gae Aulenti for Fontana Arte, designed after Aulenti's "Tavolo con Ruote," meaning "table with wheels.". Italy,...
Glass, Wood
Gae Aulenti Pair of Metal Side Coffee Tables Midcentury
By Gae Aulenti
Located in Vienna, AT
Gae Aulenti pair of metal side coffee tables midcentury. Nice pair of orange bedside tables with perforated trays. Fair to good original condition...
Steel
Sold
H 9.85 in W 39.38 in D 39.38 in
Tavolo con Ruote, Designed by Gae Aulenti in 1980 for Fontana Arte
By Fontana Arte, Gae Aulenti
Located in Hitchin, England
A Tavolo con Ruote 'Table on wheels' designed by Gae Aulenti in 1980 for Fontana Arte. An iconic and best known design for both Gae Aulenti and Fontana Arte, featuring in, among...
Metal
Coffee Table 'Jumbo' in Carrara Marble by Gae Aulenti for Knoll
By Knoll, Gae Aulenti
Located in Dronten, NL
Coffee table 'Jumbo', in Carrara marble, designed by Gae Aulenti for Knoll International, United States, 1965. Sculptural marble coffee table designed by Italian architect Gea Aulent...
Carrara Marble