Nerone and Patuzzi furniture is a shining example of the experimental side of mid-century modern design. While the style is known mainly for its clean lines and simple forms, this Italian duo showcased how artistic it could be. Together, they designed beautiful abstract and figurative sculptures, as well as sculptural coffee tables and wall lights.
Gianni Patuzzi (1932–2022) and Giovanni Ceccarelli (1937–1996), who went by the name Nerone, worked together under the NP2 Group. They met while they were both students at the Accademia di Belle Arti di Venezia and were acquainted again in Turin in 1959. The two struck up a fruitful partnership, and in 1962, they started the NP2 Group out of a studio in the Borgaro Torinese northwest of the city.
The idea behind the NP2 group was to integrate art with architecture and furniture making, bringing it out of museums and making it more accessible. The studio of the two young designers quickly became an exciting hub of innovation, attracting talented designers and artists like Marcel Breuer and Emilio Vedova.
In 1964, Nerone’s younger brother, Piercarlo Ceccarelli, joined the NP2 Group as a manager and administrator. Ceccarelli was instrumental in creating relationships with galleries, showrooms and architects throughout Europe and the United States. The group began receiving both public and private commissions.
By the late 1960s, the work of Nerone and Patuzzi was being exhibited around the world, earning recognition and awards. Their designs included everything from furniture and fittings to monumental sculptures. They utilized a wide range of techniques, including woodworking, metalworking and marble engraving.
Around this time, Nerone and Patuzzi began working on individual side projects, but they continued collaborating as the NP2 Group until 1974.
In an interview with the European Parliamentary Research Service in 2016, Patuzzi reflected fondly on his time collaborating with Nerone, remembering that they worked hard but with great enthusiasm.
On 1stDibs, find Nerone and Patuzzi decorative objects, tables, lighting and more.
Brutalist NP2 Nerone & Patuzzi Hand Forged Iron Vide Poche, Italy 1960s
By Gruppo NP2, Nerone and Patuzzi
Located in Milan, IT
Brutalist NP2 Nerone & Patuzzi Hand Forged Iron Vide Poche, Italy 1960s
Iron
Aluminum centerpiece sculpture by NP2 Nerone and Patuzzi
By Giancarlo Patuzzi, Nerone and Patuzzi, Gruppo NP2, Nerone Giovanni Ceccarelli
Located in Lugo, IT
Aluminum centerpiece sculpture by NP2 Nerone and Patuzzi. Casting defect. Used but in good condition. Thank you.
Aluminum
Illuminated wall panel by Nerone and Patuzzi Gruppo NP2 1970s
By Forme E Superfici, Nerone and Patuzzi
Located in Padova, IT
An illuminated wall panel by Nerone and Patuzzi (Gruppo NP2) from the 1970s is much more than decorative lighting—it sits right at the intersection of art, sculpture, and architectur...
Aluminum, Copper, Zinc
$3,425 / item
Nerone Patuzzi NP2 centerpiece bowl Italy 1971
By Nerone and Patuzzi
Located in Roosendaal, Noord Brabant
Very nice and decorative centrepiece bowl designed by Nerone Ceccarelli and Giancarlo Patuzzi (NP2), Italy 1971. Beautiful and unique shaped centerpiece bowl. This bowl is made from ...
Aluminum
$2,554
H 2.76 in W 19.69 in D 13.98 in
Italian Midcentury Abstract Geometric Silvergrey Aluminum Centerpiece, Sign. NP2
By Nerone Giovanni Ceccarelli
Located in Salzburg, AT
Italian midcentury abstract-geometric silvergrey alumnium bowl designed like a wrinkeled paper, signed NP2 at the bottom Nerone and Patuzzi (sculptor/architect Nerone Ceccarelli &...
Aluminum
"Surge" Polished Aluminum Sculpture by Alexander Liberman
By Alexander Liberman
Located in Stamford, CT
"Surge" a polished aluminum sculpture by Russian or American artist Alexander Liberman (1912 - 1999). Signed and dated. From the estate of ...
Aluminum
Murano Glass Centerpiece Bowl, Italy, circa 1950
Located in New York, NY
A remarkable large hand-blown Murano glass bowl crafted in a rich emerald green hue, featuring the refined bullicante technique—an intricate process in which controlled air bubbles a...
Murano Glass
Belgium Handcrafted Ceramic Wall Art, 1970s
Located in Antwerp, BE
Vintage ceramic wall art. Brown earthenware with hand painted accents. Design of 8 figures in ceramic and glazed in the tones blue, gold, whit...
Ceramic
Midcentury Raymor Hand-Painted Italian Ceramic Centerpiece Bowl
By Raymor, Bitossi
Located in Cincinnati, OH
This unusual ceramic centerpiece bowl was made in Italy for American importer Raymor. The piece has an elongated scoop form and has been hand-painted in shades of blue and green. The...
Ceramic
Brutalist Wall Sculpture, Danish Art, 1970s
By Henrik Horst
Located in Copenhagen, DK
Brutalist wall sculpture designed and manufactured by the Danish artist Henrik Horst, circa 1970s. Patinated metal construction mounted on a frame of wood.
Metal
Abstract Aluminum Sculpture by James Myford
By James C. Myford
Located in Wiscasset, ME
Myford's interest in aluminium began in 1970 when he attended a workshop sponsored by Alcoa at the art centre in Pittsburgh. "I fell in love with aluminium as a material." ...
Rusha Handarbeit ceramic wall plate , 1970s Germany
By Ruscha
Located in Delft, NL
Rusha Handarbeit ceramic wall plate , 1970s Germany
Ceramic
Brutalist Vide Poche in Cast Bronze 1960s
Located in Meer, VAN
Brutalist Vide Poche in Cast Bronze, mid 20th century. Beautiful and very distinct vide poche in heavy cast bronze. Quintessentially brutalist with rough and hand made shapes and he...
Bronze
Italian White Ceramic Seashell Clam Shell Centerpiece Bowl
Located in New York, NY
An Italian white ceramic seashell clam shell centerpiece bowl, circa late-20th century, Italy. A detailed white ceramic seashell: great as a standalone piece or fill with your favori...
Ceramic
Large brutalist wall sculpture, 1970s
Located in Leuven, Vlaams Gewest
Architectural brutalist wall mounted sculpture made from cast metal. Imposing wall sculpture 1970s - Belgium Height: 90cm Width: 175cm Ref.: 2508120403 *All images are always pa...
Metal
1970s Vintage Geometric Wood Wall Sculpture, Brutalist Relief Panel
Located in La Mesa, CA
Handcrafted in the 1970s and sourced from a Southern California estate, this sculptural wood wall panel showcases a bold geometric relief design, meticulously assembled from richly g...
Wood
Nerone e Patuzzi etched aluminium bowl Italy 1975
By Nerone and Patuzzi
Located in Roosendaal, Noord Brabant
Wonderful large abstract etched bowl designed by Nerone e Patuzzi and made by Gruppo NP2 in Italy in 1975. The bowl is made from aluminium and has the...
Aluminum
Bronze Sculpture by Nerone & Patuzzi, Italy 1970s
By Nerone and Patuzzi, Giancarlo Patuzzi, Gruppo NP2, Nerone Giovanni Ceccarelli
Located in Rotterdam, ZH
Bronze sculpture by Nerone Ceccarelli, Italy 1970s. Unique piece made from solid bronze, metal wire and its special original travertine base. The bronze is showing great organic shap...
Travertine, Bronze, Metallic Thread
Nerone E Patuzzi Np2, Sculpture, 1972, Metal
By Nerone and Patuzzi
Located in Rivoli, IT
Metal engraving (black on zinc with red inserts), work with signature and date engraved in the metal.
Metal
Sold
H 19.69 in W 70.87 in D 0.99 in
20th Century Group Np2 Nerone Ceccarelli Giancarlo Patuzzi Metal Sculpture 60's
By Nerone and Patuzzi, Forme E Superfici
Located in Turin, Turin
Nerone Ceccarelli was an Italian sculptor. He worked under the banner of research characterized by the integration of art and architecture, while he developed sculptures linked to a ...
Metal
20th Century Group Np2 Nerone Ceccarelli Wooden Sculpture
By Nerone and Patuzzi
Located in Turin, Turin
Nerone Ceccarelli was an Italian sculptor. He worked under the banner of research characterized by the integration of art and architecture, while he developed sculptures linked to a ...
Wood
Nerone & Patuzzi Large Wooden Sculpture, 1970s
By Nerone and Patuzzi
Located in Rotterdam, ZH
Wooden sculpture by Nerone Ceccarelli, Italy 1979. Unique sculpture made for a residence in Turin. The sculpture is composed of carved wooden forms, zinc and copper in a very strong ...
Copper, Zinc
Sold
H 2.76 in W 19.3 in L 2.76 in
Nerone Ceccarelli and Giancarlo Patuzzi, Gruppo NP2 Centerpiece, 1971
By Nerone and Patuzzi
Located in Roosendaal, Noord Brabant
Rare centerpiece bowl designed by Nerone Ceccarelli and Giancarlo Patuzzi, Gruppo NP2 Italy 1971. The bowl is made of moulded aluminium and is very nicely shaped like a wrinkled pape...
Aluminum
Rare Nerone and Patuzzi Monumental Four Panels Sculpture, 1966
By Nerone and Patuzzi
Located in Miami, FL
This is a monumental sculptural wall panels by Nerone and Patuzzi, Gruppo NP2. Comprised of four carved panels with modernist symbolic decoration that create a visual feast for the viewer. The carving is masterful with passages done in pyrography adding a lot of subtle detail that contrast with the bold more geometric shapes. Signed and dated 1966, on one panel. The "Gruppo NP2" which Nerone Ceccarelli is one of the founders and practitioners, was created around 1962. Its members are Giovanni Ceccarelli (said Nerone), Luigi Marchisotti, Dedalo Montali...