Every so often a company produces a design so iconic that it comes to symbolize its entire history. For Studio 65, the Italian avant-garde design collective cofounded by Franco Audrito, Piero Gatti and others, this was the Bocca sofa — alternatively known as the “lips sofa,” “red lip sofa,” “Dalí sofa” or Marilyn sofa.”
Studio 65’s lip-shaped seat — modeled after a singular feature from Surrealist artist Salvador Dalí’s portrait of Mae West — became a design icon shortly after its release in 1970 and remains a beloved collector’s item today. The Bocca symbolizes Studio 65’s playful, subversive approach to design. The collective took shape in Turin in 1965 with the goal of avant-garde experimentation. The group would eventually grow to comprise artists, designers and poets, including Roberta Garosci, Enzo Bertone, Paolo Morello and Paolo Rondelli. It would also play a central role in the Italian Radical design movement, the practitioners of which found inspiration in Pop art, minimalism and Arte Povera.
The Bocca sofa was born of one of Audrito’s earliest commissions — to design a gym in Milan — which he accepted just a year after graduating from architecture school. The collective enlisted Italian manufacturer Gufram, a firm at the forefront of Italian Radical design, to create a bold red sofa in the shape of plump lips; it was dubbed Marilyn after Ms. Monroe and was an instant sensation when installed at the fitness center.
Studio 65 would follow this with the also iconic Capitello side chair (another Gufram collaboration, now in the permanent collection at The Met), whose reimagining of a decapitated marble classical architectural column in squishy foam was an on-the-nose expression of the group’s pushback to traditional design. It’s a nod they iterated with the Attica coffee table, whose form appears sliced from an oversize column.
Though Studio 65 still operates as an architecture studio under the leadership of Audrito today, the original collective broke up in the late 1970s, making its output from the past decade sought-after fodder for collectors of postmodern, Radical and Italian design.
Find Studio 65 chairs, sofas and other furniture on 1stDibs.
$4,300 / item
GUFRAM Attica TL Coffee Table by Studio 65
By Studio 65, Gufram Furniture
Located in La Morra, Cuneo
The coffee table Attica TL is contemporary archaeological finds that can be left out in the weather thanks to a particular finish which is suited also to o...
Other
"Wave" Coffee Table by Studio Glustin
By Glustin Creation
Located in Saint-Ouen (PARIS), FR
"Wave" coffee table in onyx and brass. Creation by Studio Glustin.
Onyx, Brass
$4,990
H 14.2 in W 38.2 in D 26 in
Porfido Coffee Table by Piero Gilardi for Gufram Limited Edition, 1974
By Gufram Furniture, Memphis Group, Piero Gilardi
Located in Vienna, AT
Rare limited edition table by Piero Gilardi from 1974. This is an early piece numbered 27/500 Measurements are 38 x 26 x 14 inches. Resembling an ancient engraved piece of stone, i...
Polystyrene
Attica Round Parchment Coffee Table
By Giobagnara
Located in Milan, IT
The charming strength of the Attica collection is due to the combination of the highly geometric aesthetics with velvety leathers, appealing textured parchment and unique wood grains...
Leather, Velvet
Riley Coffee Table by Dare Studio
Located in Geneve, CH
Riley coffee table by Dare Studio, 2018 Dimensions: H 26 x D 55 x W 130 cm Materials: European white oak with black stain, powder-coated frame in black RAL 9005 Also available i...
Oak
Nefes Coffee Table by Rectangle Studio
Located in Geneve, CH
Nefes coffee table by Rectangle Studio Dimensions: Squad: W 64 x D 64 x H 53 cm Round: 48 x 46 cm Materials: Massive walnut, natural wood oil Coating: Black paint on metal NEFES c...
Walnut
Gufram Porfido table - Piero Gilardi 1974
By Gufram Furniture, Piero Gilardi
Located in Perpignan, FR
Rare table en édition limitée de Piero Gilardi datant de 1974. Il s'agit d'une pièce ancienne numérotée 169/500. Les dimensions sont de 38 x 26 x 14 pouces. Ressemblant à un anci...
Resin, Epoxy Resin, Foam
$11,800 / item
H 14.76 in Dm 48.03 in
Attica Round Coffee Table in Leather by Stephane Parmentier x Giobagnara
By Giobagnara
Located in New York, NY
For nearly twenty years, the Giobagnara brand has combined traditional know-how and leading-edge technology to produce elegance of the highest standard. With luxurious creations avai...
Wood, Leather
Paulín Coffee Table by OHLA STUDIO
By Ohla Studio
Located in Geneve, CH
Paulín Coffee Table by OHLA STUDIO Dimensions: D 110 x W 110 x H 30 cm Materials: Brushed Aluminum. Weight: 48 kg Is a series of late night conve...
Aluminum
Landin Coffee Table by OHLA STUDIO
By Ohla Studio
Located in Geneve, CH
Landin Coffee Table by OHLA STUDIO Dimensions: D 110 x W 110 x H 30 cm Materials: Travertine de Veracruz. 130 kg This collection draws upon the earliest known works of representati...
Travertine
Wire Coffee Table by Dare Studio
Located in Geneve, CH
Wire coffee table by Dare Studio, 2009 Dimensions: H 35 cm, D 85 cm Materials: American black walnut, powder coated frame in black RAL 9005 Also ...
Walnut
$7,600 / item
H 18.31 in W 33.46 in D 33.46 in
Attica Square Coffee Table in Parchment by Stephane Parmentier x Giobagnara
By Giobagnara
Located in New York, NY
For nearly twenty years, the Giobagnara brand has combined traditional know-how and leading-edge technology to produce elegance of the highest standard. With luxurious creations avai...
Wood, Parchment Paper
Kabuk Coffee Table by Rectangle Studio
Located in Geneve, CH
Kabuk coffee table by Rectangle Studio. Dimensions: W 27 x H 49 cm. Materials: Massive pinewood, black wood oil. Kabuk is an alternative product with sculptural appearance which...
Pine
Sold
H 15.75 in Dm 27.56 in
Studio 65, Attica Side Table TL, prod. Gufram, 2008, Limited Edition ex. 3/1000
By Gufram Furniture, Studio 65
Located in Rivoli, IT
The CAPITELLO seat, ATTICA armchair and ATTICA TL coffee table, designed by Studio 65, are born from the "deconstruction" of a traditional Greek column, resulting in a unique series ...
Mirror, Foam
"Tavolino a Fiore" by Studio 65
By Studio 65
Located in New York, NY
"Tavolino a Fiore" side table in wood and steel. Designed by Studio 65, Italy, 1970.
Steel