An accomplished architect, exhibition designer, furniture maker and magazine editor, Giuseppe Pagano Pogatschnig helped direct Italy’s rationalist architectural movement until his death near the end of World War II. Wounded twice and captured twice in World War I, Pogatschnig left military service to work as the editor and director of Casabella architecture magazine and went on to design the V Milan Triennale and VI Milan Triennale alongside fellow Italian architect Gio Ponti.
Originally born in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, now modern-day Croatia, Pogatschnig studied Italian in Trieste before joining the Italian army to serve in the First World War. After that harrowing and traumatic experience, he became a founding member of the first Fascist Party in Parenzo. In 1924, he graduated from Turin Polytechnic with an architecture degree and began designing bridges, pavilions and buildings, including the Gualino office complex, in Turin. Nearing 1928, Pogatschnig began work on pavilions for the Turin International Exhibition.
Pogatschnig’s involvement in the V and VI Milan Triennales stand today as some of his greatest contributions to Italian architecture. He held full control over the design of the latter exhibition, in 1936, which led to the opportunity to design many of the interiors of the Italian Pavilion at the Paris Expo the following year.
Pogatschnig’s reputation as an architect and designer were overshadowed only by his outspoken nature as an editor. By 1942, he openly criticized the Italian regime and left the Fascist Party to join the resistance a year later. These activities led to his capture, imprisonment and escape from Brescia in 1944. Ultimately, Pogatschnig was recaptured, tortured and transferred across prisons to Austria’s Mauthausen concentration camp, where he died on April 22, 1945, less than a month before the end of fighting in Europe.
On 1stDibs, find vintage Giuseppe Pagano Pogatschnig seating, tables, and case pieces.
Giuseppe Pagano Pogatschnig. 'Bocconi' Sofa, Italy, 1940s
By Giuseppe Pagano Pogatschnig
Located in Almelo, NL
Giuseppe Pagano Pogatschnig. 'Bocconi' sofa, Italy, 1940s. Giuseppe Pagano Pogatschnig e Gino Maggioni designed this 'Bocconi' sofa in curved wood. Two large squares form it in cu...
Rope, Beech, Bentwood
$6,853Sale Price|20% Off
Divano Giuseppe Pagano per Arredi Bocconi 1938
By Gino Maggioni, Giuseppe Pagano Pogatschnig
Located in Milano, MI
Divano Razionalista disegnati da Giuseppe Pagano nel 1938 per arredare gli interni dell' Università Bocconi di Milano. Il Divano presenta una strttura in legno restaurata da ebanist...
Twine, Wood
Two-seater straw sofa by Giuseppe Pagano
By Giuseppe Pagano Pogatschnig
Located in Milano, IT
This two-seater sofa, designed by the visionary Giuseppe Pagano during the Italian Rationalist era, embodies the principles of functionality and simplicity that defined this movement...
Straw, Wood
$4,800
H 31.5 in W 59 in D 29 in
Danish Midcentury 1940s Sofa or Settee with Open Armrests by Alfred Christensen
By Slagelse Mobelvaerk, Alfred Christensen
Located in Bridgeport, CT
Fantastic 1940s Alfred Christensen designed sofa in his characteristic style of open armrests carved from solid beech wood and made by Slagelse Mobelvaerk in the 1940s. Beautiful ref...
Wool, Beech
Guglielmo Ulrich Art Deco Italian Velvet Sofa, 1940s
By Guglielmo Ulrich
Located in Puglia, Puglia
A large Italian sculptural sofa designed by Guglielmo Ulrich, very comfortable. Recently upholstered in light blue velvet with a light gray velvet border, in a minimalist way, which ...
Velvet, Beech
$8,000
H 28 in W 79 in D 33 in
Flemming Lassen Style, Danish Mid-Century Modern, Curved Sofa, Boucle, 1940s
By Flemming Lassen
Located in Stamford, CT
Flemming Lassen Style, Danish Cabinetmaker, Mid-Century Modern, Curved Sofa, Beige Boucle, 1940s Beautifly organic shaped Danish sofa similar to works by Flemming Lassen. This sofa ...
Bouclé
$2,687Sale Price|35% Off
H 35.04 in W 78.75 in D 30.32 in
1940s Kaare Klint Three Seater Sofa, Hardwood Legs & Striped Wool Upholstery
By Kaare Klint, Rud Rasmussen
Located in London, GB
1940s Kaare Klint Three Seater Sofa, with Mahogany Legs & Striped Wool Upholstery with Leather Trim. Usable condition. Bespoke quote can be...
Leather, Wool, Hardwood
Italian Mohair Settee Sofa, Brown, 1950s
Located in New York, NY
Beautiful mohair upholstered curved sofa with wooden legs. Perfect shape and size. In excellent condition, 1950s, Italy. Same era as: Ch...
Mohair, Wood
$4,513
H 27.96 in W 66.15 in D 37.41 in
Divano Maralunga di Vico Magistretti per Cassina 2 posti velluto verde
By Cassina, Vico Magistretti
Located in Ghedi, IT
Divano a 2 Posti: Dimensioni 168 cm (lunghezza) x 95 cm (profondità) x 72/100 cm (altezza), con altezza della seduta di circa 43 cm. La struttura è in acciaio tubolare con cinghie el...
Velvet
Divano Fiandra Vico Magistretti per Cassina
By Cassina, Vico Magistretti
Located in Ghedi, IT
Magnifico divano Fiandra a due posti, disegnato da Vico Magistretti per Cassina negli anni '70, in eccellenti condizioni vintage. Rivestito in tessuto bianco panna, emana eleganza e ...
Textile
Divano Bastiano di Tobia Scarpa per Gavina anni 70
By Tobia Scarpa, Simon Gavina Editions
Located in Ghedi, IT
Il divano **Bastiano** è uno dei progetti più iconici del design italiano firmato da Tobia Scarpa per Gavina. In questa versione a due posti, misura 158 cm x 78 cm e racchiude tutta ...
Fabric
$3,280
H 32.29 in W 63.78 in D 32.29 in
Svante Skogh, Freestanding Sofa in Floral Fabric, Swedish Modern, 1940s
By AB Förenade Möbelfabrikerna Linköping, Svante Skogh
Located in Odense, DK
A refined and expressive Swedish sofa designed by Svante Skogh for Förenade Möbler, Linköping, mid-20th century. This elegant piece features upholstered cushions paired with a staine...
Fabric, Textile, Upholstery, Wood, Beech
Italian-made sofa from the 1940s - 1950s
Located in SAN PIETRO MOSEZZO, NO
Small sofa from the 1940s-50s of Italian manufacture. Wooden frame and fabric upholstery, still original. The frame is sound, upholstery and padding are to be reupholstered so as t...
Fabric, Wood
Italian Sofa in Red Upholstery
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Settee, red fabric, wood, metal, Italy, circa 1960 This Italian two-seat settee features a soft red color and can be placed in an entryway or bring a touch of elegance to any room. ...
Metal
Divano modello Fiandra di Vico Magistretti per Cassina
By Vico Magistretti, Cassina
Located in Ghedi, IT
Progettato nel 1975 dal maestro milanese Vico Magistretti e prodotto da Cassina, il divano “Fiandra” rappresenta uno dei sistemi modulari più intelligenti e iconici del design italia...
Fabric
Giuseppe Pagano Sofa with Braided Rope with Bentwood Arms
By Giuseppe Pagano Pogatschnig
Located in San Francisco, CA
Design post WWII by Italian designers, Giuseppe Pagano Pogatschnig and Gino Maggioni. The sofa is crafted with a with wooden frame and rope seat. Originally designed for the furnitur...
Rope, Bentwood
Sold
H 29.53 in W 48.04 in D 25.2 in
Italian "Bocconi" Sofa by Giuseppe Pagano Pogatschnig & Gino Maggioni
By Giuseppe Pagano Pogatschnig
Located in Brussels, BE
Mid-Century Italian "Bocconi" Sofa by Giuseppe Pagano Pogatschnig & Gino Maggioni, 1940s.
Wicker, Wood
Giuseppe Pagano Pogatschnig Sofa
By Giuseppe Pagano Pogatschnig, Gino Maggioni
Located in Piacenza, Italy
Giuseppe Pagano Pogatschnig and Gino Maggioni. Sofa mod. Lamellar with wooden frame and rope seat. Original design for the furniture of the Boc...
Rope, Wood
Giuseppe Pagano Italian Midcentury Sofa
By Giuseppe Pagano Pogatschnig
Located in London, GB
Midcentury two-seat sofa by Giuseppe Pagano. Italy, circa 1942. Minimalist curved design, formed from layers of plywood. The seats have been re-corded professionally as such the a...
Plywood
Sold
H 26.78 in W 25.2 in D 25.2 in
2seater sofa by Guiseppe Pagano Pogatschnig 1938/41, Maggioni Italy
By Giuseppe Pagano Pogatschnig, Giuseppe Maggiolini
Located in Berlin, DE
2seater sofa by Guiseppe Pagano Pogatschnig 1938/41, Maggioni Italy