The Italian architect, artist and furniture designer Ico Parisi (1916–96) and his wife and frequent collaborator, Luisa Parisi (1914–90), formed one of the most prolific and spirited European design teams of the postwar period. Together they created a magnetic aesthetic that combines the refined angularity and elegance of the work of Gio Ponti with the liveliness and lightness of the furniture of Carlo Mollino.
Ico Parisi — his first name is short for Domenico — was born and raised in Palermo. He moved to the northern Italian city of Como in the early 1930s and lived and worked there the remainder of his life. He initially studied and worked as a civil engineer, but later became an associate in the office of architect Giuseppe Terragni, a leading light of the stern and formal Rationalist design movement. Ico moved in artistic circles that included Lucio Fontana and Bruno Munari; after he married Luisa Aiani — a former student of Gio Ponti’s — in 1947 their design studio became known as an artists’ salon. The couple’s big break as designers came the following year when their work was shown, along with that of Carlo Mollino, Paolo Buffa, Franco Albini and other greats, leading to contracts with manufacturers such as Cassina and Singer & Sons.
What attracted these firms was the Parisis’ fluency with a wide array of furniture forms. No two looks are quite alike. Their body of work includes a series of coffee and dining tables and consoles for Singer & Sons created in the early 1950s that feature notch-edged tops and javelin-shaped legs, and cabinets and credenzas such as those with plain fronts and molded-teak and plywood detailing for MIM Rome (1959). Their chairs range from sleek dining pieces with supple, bone-shaped backrests for Singer & Sons to the lush Model 813 Uovo, or Egg chair, for Cassina (1951). Then, as now, Parisi furnishings can fill an entire decor, yet seem eclectic and at the height of style.
Ico E Luisa Parisi Impronta - Vaso Bocca For Cassina
By Ico & Luisa Parisi
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
Ico E Luisa Parisi Impronta - Vaso Bocca For Cassina The vases and pin trays in the Impronta ceramics collection grew out of the creative talent of Ico and Luisa Parisi. Conceived ...
Ceramic
Ico E Luisa Parisi Set Of Ceramics Impronta - Mano and Vaso Bocca For Cassina
By Ico & Luisa Parisi
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
Ico E Luisa Parisi Set Of Ceramics Impronta - Mano and Vaso Bocca For Cassina The vases and pin trays in the Impronta ceramics collection grew out of the creative talent of Ico and...
Ceramic
Big Mug for Bennington Potters
By Bennington Potters
Located in Sagaponack, NY
A substantial coffee or cocoa mug with golden matte glaze.
Ceramic
Vaso Bianco, Ceramic White Vase by Michele De Lucchi
By Michele de Lucchi, Produzione Privata
Located in Roma, IT
This vase represents the beginning of a new design era for De Lucchi beyond Memphis. This new beginning is best illustrated by inadvertedly abandoning all the critical features of wh...
Ceramic
Pair of Floor Ashtray by Ico Parisi for Stildomus
By Ico Parisi
Located in Brussels, BE
Pair of floor ashtray by Ico Parisi for Stildomus.
Wood
"For Rachel" Tray
By Project 213A
Located in Macieira de Sarnes, PT
'For Rachel' tray in cream Hand-sculpted ceramic tray with hand made rectangle shaped elements. This large sized tray is finished with a bespoke cream glaze that reveals the natural...
Ceramic
Marcello Fantoni Ceramic Vase for Raymor
By Marcello Fantoni
Located in Dallas, TX
Marcello Fantoni (1915-2011) sculptor, ceramicist, metalworker, multi-media artist and designer Born in Florence in 1915, Marcello Fantoni began studying ceramic art at age 12 at the Art Institute of Florence with ceramicist Carlo Guerrini, artistic director of the famed Cantagalli Factory. He continued years of training in ceramics and the arts, including sculpture with Libero Andreotti and Bruno Innocenti, and figurative art with Gianni Vagnetti, graduating as a maestro of art in 1934. After a stint as art director for a ceramics factory in Perugia, in 1936 he opened the Fantoni Ceramic Studio in Florence. Here he produced ceramic series as well as unique pieces, sculptures and furnishings. In 1937 Fantoni’s pieces were exhibited in the Florence National Arts and Crafts Exhibit where their unique combination of rustic forms decorated with African and marine motifs and painted figures garnered considerable acclaim. By the start of World War II Fantoni’s melding of ancient Italian pottery techniques with decidedly Modernist elements had won him artistic and commercial success both in Italy and abroad. Having participated in the resistance, after the War Fantoni worked for the 500-year old Maiolica factory in Deruta, Umbria, renowned for its signature tin-glazed pottery. In the 1950s he refocused on his Florence studio, dedicating himself to larger sculptural pieces...
Ceramic
Fletcher Martin Modernist Studio Ceramic for Stonelain - Matador
By Fletcher Martin
Located in Phoenix, AZ
Mint condition hand painted charger designed for Stonelain pottery by listed WPA artist Fletcher Martin (1904-1979), circa 1940s. Associated American Artists, who produced limited e...
Ceramic
Ico Parisi Magazine Table Wood Brass, 1950, Italy
By Ico Parisi
Located in Milano, IT
Ico Parisi magazine table wood brass, 1950, Italy.
Wood
$3,000 / set
H 3.94 in Dm 0.79 in
Sven Wejsfelt for Gustavsberg, Complete Set of Chess Pieces in Ceramics
Located in København, Copenhagen
Sven Wejsfelt for Gustavsberg, complete set of chess pieces in ceramics. Presumably unique, circa 1980. 32 pieces. In perfect condition. Highest measures 9.5 cm. Marked.
Wilhelm Kage Vase ‘Argenta’ for Gustavsberg Sweden 1935 Signed
By Gustavsberg, Wilhelm Kage
Located in Paris, IDF
Wilhelm Kåge, an 'Argenta' vase, Gustavsberg. Sweden 1940s. Green glaze with silver decoration of a seahorse with rider. Signed Gustavsberg Argenta 978 IV EGY Made in Sweden. Height ...
Silver
Stylized Girl Designed by Rogier Vandeweghe for Amphora
By Rogier Vandeweghe
Located in Antwerp, BE
A dark chamotte clay wall sculpture, representing a stylized girl. Unique hand-formed sculpture by Rogier Vandeweghe for Amphora.
Ceramic
Big Mid-Century Transparent Vase for Candy, Italy, 1960s
Located in 05-080 Hornowek, PL
Unique Empoli vase box for candies or jewelry box. Very good original vintage condition. Only one unique piece. Produced in 1960s in Italy.
Glass
$805 / set
H 20.08 in Dm 10.24 in
Boch Freres Keralux Stamp and Label set of 3 Large Ceramics Vase, Urn and Plate
By Boch Freres Keramis
Located in Verviers, BE
Boch Freres Keralux Stamp and Label set of 3 Large Ceramics Vase, Urn and Plate Label Boch and Stamp , decorated Flowers with coloured lead glazes. Measure: Urn: 51 cm x 21 cm Vas...
Ceramic