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
$3,353 / 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
$525
H 1.38 in Dm 5 in
Vintage Fornasetti Sun Motif Vide-Poche in Black, White & Gold, Italy, c. 1960s
By Piero Fornasetti
Located in Minneapolis, MN
A striking vintage Italian ceramic vide-poche by Fornasetti, featuring a finely detailed sun face in black and white framed by a lustrous gold interior. Alternating straight and undu...
Porcelain
$2,513
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
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
Midcentury Raymor Hand-Painted Italian Ceramic Centerpiece Bowl
By Bitossi, Raymor
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
Royal Copenhagen 1960s Hand-Painted Vide Poche, Denmark
By Royal Copenhagen, Nils Thorsson, Marianne Johnson
Located in Copenhagen, DK
Purple, mint green, blue, burgundy, brown, white and black glazed faience vide poche bowl designed and handpainted by Marianne Johnson and Nils Thorsson for Royal Copenhagen in the l...
Faience
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
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
Aluminum centerpiece sculpture by NP2 Nerone and Patuzzi
By Giancarlo Patuzzi, Nerone and Patuzzi, Nerone Giovanni Ceccarelli, Gruppo NP2
Located in Lugo, IT
Aluminum centerpiece sculpture by NP2 Nerone and Patuzzi. Casting defect. Used but in good condition. Thank you.
Aluminum
$1,648
H 6.7 in W 29.53 in D 11.03 in
Vintage Rusty Orange Sommerso Murano Glass Bowl / Centerpiece, Italy
By Flavio Poli
Located in Bresso, Lombardy
Made in Italy, 1950s - 1960s. This large bowl / centerpiece / vide-poche is made burnt orange sommerso Murano glass that has been hand-modeled. It is...
Murano Glass, Sommerso
Italian Dish / Vide Poche
Located in Denton, TX
Italian ring dish / ashtray. Signed on the back.
Ceramic
Nerone Ceccarelli & Gianni Patuzzi Sculpture, 1972
By Nerone and Patuzzi
Located in Astoria, NY
Nerone Ceccarelli (Italian, 1937-1996) and Gianni Patuzzi (Italian, 1905-1977) "NP2 Forme e Superici" Ebonized Walnut Sculpture, circa 1972. 41.75" H x 15.75" W x 8" D. Prove...
Walnut
Centerpiece Bowl Ceramic by Vivai Del Sud, Italy 1970s
By Vivai del Sud
Located in Rome, IT
Big centerpiece bowl in woven white ceramic manufactured by Vivai del Sud, Italy, 1970s. The original label is still attached on the bottom, as shown in the photos. Vivai del Su...
Ceramic
$400Sale Price|20% Off
H 5.75 in Dm 9.5 in
Mid-Century Italian Polished Marble Fruit Bowl / Centerpiece
Located in San Diego, CA
Mid-century Italian polished marble fruit bowl / centerpiece, circa 1970s. The bowl is in very good vintage condition and is 9.5" in diameter and 5.75" high. It would make a great ce...
Marble
Vintage Chiseled and Embossed Cast Bronze Centerpiece / Bowl, Italy
Located in Bresso, Lombardy
Made in Italy, 1930s. This vide-poche is made in embossed and chiseled cast bronze. It might show slight traces of use since it's vintage and has an imperceptible flaw, but it can be...
Bronze
Gilt Bronze Decorative Vide-Poche, circa 1960, Italy.
By Arnaldo Pomodoro
Located in Brussels, BE
Nice Mid-century decorative bronze vide-poche, circa 1960, Italy. Polished gilt bronze, sculptural abstract decor. Dimensions: 12 cm W (4,72 in ) x 12 cm D x 2,5 cm H (0,98 in). Orig...
Bronze
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
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