Mario Botta
Swiss architect Mario Botta may be renowned for his impressive postmodern architecture projects such as the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, but the chairs, lighting and other furniture he created reflect a mastery of geometrically rich forms and an elegant application of simple symmetry.
Born in Mendrisio, Switzerland, in 1943, Botta gained an interest in architecture at an early age. He apprenticed at the architectural firm Carloni and Camenisch and designed his first building — a two-family house at Morbis Superiore in Ticino — at age 16. During the early 1960s, Botta attended the Liceo Artistico in Milan and then studied at the University Institute of Architecture in Venice under art historian Giuseppe Mazzariol and influential Italian architect Carlo Scarpa.
While studying in Venice, Botta worked for Swiss-born French architect Le Corbusier — whose career spanned hundreds of architecture projects — and gained inspiration from Estonian-American architect Louis Kahn, who was known for his modern and brutalist architectural style. In 1969, Botta completed his studies and established his practice in Lugano, designing and building single-family homes.
Throughout the 1970s, Botta gained fame for his innovative, geometrical designs and deceptively simple forms, such as his first large-scale building project in 1977 — the Middle School in Morbio Inferiore, Switzerland. Botta later established himself as one of the masters of 1980s postmodern design in his architecture and his furniture. His postmodern ideas characterize the dining room tables and seating he designed for companies such as Alias, as well as his table lamps and floor lamps for Artemide.
Botta’s noteworthy architectural projects designed during the 1990s and 2000s include the Cymbalista Synagogue and Jewish Heritage Center in Tel Aviv, Israel; the Monastery of the Holy Apostles Saint Peter and Andrew in Lviv, Ukraine; and the Theater of Architecture in Mendrisio, in 2018.
On 1stDibs, discover a range of vintage Mario Botta lighting fixtures, seating, tables and decorative objects.
1980s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Mario Botta
Metal
1980s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Mario Botta
Aluminum, Iron
1980s Italian Post-Modern Vintage Mario Botta
Fabric, Wood
Late 20th Century Italian Post-Modern Mario Botta
Aluminum, Steel
1980s Italian Post-Modern Vintage Mario Botta
Metal
1980s Italian Post-Modern Vintage Mario Botta
Steel
1980s Italian Post-Modern Vintage Mario Botta
Aluminum, Steel
1980s Italian Post-Modern Vintage Mario Botta
Aluminum, Steel
1980s Vintage Mario Botta
Pearwood
1980s Italian Post-Modern Vintage Mario Botta
Metal, Sheet Metal
1980s Italian Post-Modern Vintage Mario Botta
Metal, Sheet Metal
1980s Italian Vintage Mario Botta
Metal, Steel
1980s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Mario Botta
Metal
1980s German Vintage Mario Botta
Metal
1980s Italian Post-Modern Vintage Mario Botta
Metal, Steel
1980s Italian Post-Modern Vintage Mario Botta
Steel, Sheet Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Mario Botta
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Mario Botta
Steel
1980s Italian Post-Modern Vintage Mario Botta
Metal, Steel
15th Century and Earlier Italian Post-Modern Antique Mario Botta
Steel, Sheet Metal
2010s Italian Modern Mario Botta
Wood, Cedar
Late 20th Century Italian Post-Modern Mario Botta
Steel, Chrome
20th Century Italian Post-Modern Mario Botta
Metal
1980s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Mario Botta
Metal
1980s Italian Post-Modern Vintage Mario Botta
Leather
1980s Italian Modern Vintage Mario Botta
Metal, Enamel
1980s Swiss Post-Modern Vintage Mario Botta
Metal
20th Century Italian Post-Modern Mario Botta
Metal
1980s Italian Vintage Mario Botta
Metal
1980s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Mario Botta
Metal
1990s Italian Post-Modern Mario Botta
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Mid-Century Modern Mario Botta
Metal, Steel
1980s Italian Post-Modern Vintage Mario Botta
Metal
1980s Italian Modern Vintage Mario Botta
Metal
1980s Italian Post-Modern Vintage Mario Botta
Metal
1980s Italian Post-Modern Vintage Mario Botta
Metal
15th Century and Earlier Italian Post-Modern Antique Mario Botta
Steel, Sheet Metal
1980s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Mario Botta
Metal
1980s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Mario Botta
Metal, Aluminum
Late 20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Mario Botta
Wicker
1980s Italian Post-Modern Vintage Mario Botta
Metal
1980s Italian Post-Modern Vintage Mario Botta
Fabric, Wood
1980s Italian Post-Modern Vintage Mario Botta
Steel, Iron
Late 20th Century Italian Post-Modern Mario Botta
Metal
1980s Italian Post-Modern Vintage Mario Botta
Iron, Metal
1980s Italian Post-Modern Vintage Mario Botta
Granite, Metal
1960s European Mid-Century Modern Vintage Mario Botta
Metal
1980s Italian Vintage Mario Botta
Metal
1980s Italian Post-Modern Vintage Mario Botta
Metal
1980s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Mario Botta
Metal
2010s Italian Mario Botta
Textile, Birch
1980s Italian Vintage Mario Botta
Crystal, Steel, Sheet Metal
2010s Italian Mario Botta
Pewter
20th Century Italian Post-Modern Mario Botta
Fabric, Wood
2010s Italian Mario Botta
Pewter
2010s Italian Mario Botta
Pewter
1980s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Mario Botta
Metal
Late 20th Century Italian Post-Modern Mario Botta
Iron
2010s Italian Mario Botta
Pewter
1980s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Mario Botta
Metal, Iron