Widely recognized as superstars of postmodern Italian design, husband-and-wife team Afra and Tobia Scarpa (1937–2011; b. 1935) collaboratively created chairs, sofas and other furniture that work equally well in both traditional and cutting-edge environments.
Afra Bianchin and Tobia Scarpa met as architecture students at the Università Iuav di Venezia. In a class led by architect and furniture designer Franco Albini, they created their first collaborative piece, the Pigreco armchair, later produced with Gavina. After graduating in 1957, Tobia Scarpa worked for Murano glass company Venini & Co. before the couple opened a studio in Afra’s hometown, Montebelluna, in 1960. (Tobia, the son of famed glass artist and architect Carlo Scarpa, was born in Venice.)
Ranging from architecture and interior design to furniture and clothing, the Scarpas’ practice from its beginnings in the mid-1950s to the 21st century has included a diverse scope of projects combining new technology with thoughtful function and sculptural yet simple forms.
For Afra and Tobia, a close collaborative process was pivotal to the success of their designs. The duo was also prolific — they designed for the most influential European manufacturers, including B&B Italia, Cassina, Knoll and FLOS. With respect to the latter, Afra and Tobia were among the legendary Italian lighting maker’s earliest collaborators, and their pioneering designs for the brand included the Papillon lamp, one of the first fixtures to use halogen technology. Their most recognized designs include the Bastiano sofa (1962), the Vanessa bed (1959), the Coronado sofa (1966) and the Soriana seating collection (1970). Work on the Soriana sofa began in late 1969 for an early 1970 debut, and it feels as radical today as it did in its heyday.
Architecture was also a central part of Afra and Tobia’s practice, which spanned residential buildings and factories for Italian companies such as Benetton. Their commissions for the global fashion brand included numerous industrial projects, from textile plants to storefronts. By 1985, Afra and Tobia Scarpa’s work was celebrated in a 30-year retrospective at Center Four in Queens, New York. Looking around the 30,000-square-foot exhibition space, Afra joked to the New York Times, “Seeing all those things makes us feel very tired, and now we feel that maybe we worked too much.”
It was not too much for their legacy, as Afra and Tobia Scarpa’s work continues to inspire new generations. Scarpa designs are in collections at the Louvre, the Museum of Modern Art and the Victoria and Albert Museum. The couple was awarded the Compasso d’Oro in 1970 for the Soriana armchair.
Find vintage Tobia Scarpa table lamps, sofas, dining chairs and other furniture today on 1stDibs.
Tobia Scarpa, André Low Coffee Table, Gavina, Italy, 1970s
By Tobia Scarpa, Gavina
Located in Krefeld, DE
Tobia Scarpa, André Low Coffee Table, Gavina, Italy, 1970s Low coffee table “André” designed by Tobia Scarpa for Gavina in the 1970s, Italy. A refined example of Italian modernist de...
Steel
Table basse modele Andre Tobia Scarpa Knoll
By Tobia Scarpa
Located in BAUD, FR
Table basse « André » par Tobia Scarpa pour Knoll International dans les années 1970 épais piètement en acier chromé plateau en verre finement recoupé aux dimensions du piètement La ...
Metal
Rectangular Model Andre Dining Table by Tobia Scarpa
By Gavina, Tobia Scarpa
Located in Delft, NL
Rectangular Model Andre dining table by Tobia Scarpa. Tobia Scarpa, Model Andre dining table for manufacturer Gavina , late in the 60s it has been taken over by the manufacturer K...
Chrome
André Coffee Table designed by Tobia Scarpa for Gavina, 1960s
By Tobia Scarpa
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Good vintage condition. The table can be viewed in person at our Brooklyn studio, NYC, by appointment only. An iconic Italian modernist coffee table Andre designed by Tobia Scarpa f...
Chrome
Tobia Scarpa "Andre" Square Dining Table for Gavina, 1968
By Gavina, Tobia Scarpa
Located in Sacile, PN
Andre square dining table designed by Tobia Scarpa for Gavina, dated 1968. Smoked glass top on chrome structure.
Chrome
Tobia Scarpa Style Coffee Table Italy 1970s
By Tobia Scarpa
Located in Čelinac, BA
Tobia Scarpa Style Coffee Table Italy 1970s
Glass, Wood
'Andre' Square Dining Table by Tobia Scarpa for Knoll
By Tobia Scarpa
Located in Hanover, MA
Designed in 1967 for Gavina, the "Andre" dining table by Tobia Scarpa produced by Knoll. Chromed steel frame and chromed tubular steel legs, round black leather pads on top of legs s...
Chrome
$1,303Sale Price|41% Off
H 13 in W 29.53 in D 29.93 in
Early Mid-Century Modern Coffee Table Bastiano by Tobia & Afra Scarpa for Gavina
By Afra & Tobia Scarpa, Gavina
Located in Warszawa, Mazowieckie
This low coffee table was designed by the architectural duo Tobia and Afra Scarpa in 1962 and manufactured by the Italian manufacture Gavina. It is an early production table from the Bastiano series. It is made of teak wood and finished in a dark shade of brown. The top is placed loosely on a wooden frame. It is a real example of functional, yet stylish, modern Italian design. Afra and Tobia Scarpa are an award-winning duo of postmodern Italian architects. Their works can be found in museums in the United States and Europe, including collections at MoMA and the Louvre. They have cooperated with companies such as B&B Italia, San Lorenzo Silver...
Teak
1980's Postmodern Tobia Scarpa for Knoll Andre Dining Table
By Knoll, Massimo Vignelli, Tobia Scarpa, Piotr Sierakowski
Located in Burbank, CA
Vintage Post Modern dining table for sale. The table was designed in 1968 by Tobia Scarpa for Gavina, and then went to be manufactured by Knoll. It's the Andre dining table with a st...
Metal
$1,340
H 15.75 in W 51.19 in D 17.72 in
Italian mid century wood and glass Acca coffee table Takahama Gavina, 1960s
By Gavina, Kazuhide Takahama
Located in MIlano, IT
Italian mid century modern wood and glass Acca coffee table by Kazuhide Takahama for Gavina, 1960s. Acca model coffee table with a rectangular wooden...
Glass, Wood
Italian Design Coffee Table, 1970s
By Zanotta, Marco Zanuso
Located in Casale Monferrato, IT
This is a beautiful and sophisticated piece of 20th-century furniture. 1970s Italian design is distinctive and evident in this rectangular coffee table. Made with minimalist cylindr...
Metal, Chrome
Original "André" table, designed by Tobia Scarpa for Gavina
By Tobia Scarpa
Located in Paris, FR
Tobia Scarpa for Gavina chrome and glass top dining or conference table, called the "Andre" table. The frame of the top slides in an 'x' shape into the four cylindrical legs. The bar...
Chrome
$2,200
H 15 in W 43.25 in D 43.25 in
Vintage Tobia Scarpa Style 'Andre' Coffee Table Bronzed Steel & Glass
By Tobia Scarpa, Knoll
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Handsome coffee table in the style of Tobia Scarpa for Knoll. Originally designed in the 1950s, this table features the design language Scarpa was known for: right angles, progressiv...
Bronze, Steel
$3,600
H 28 in W 76 in D 36 in
Tobia Scarpa for Gavina "Andre" Mid Century Glass and Chrome Dining Table
By Tobia Scarpa
Located in Esperance, NY
Tobia Scarpa for Gavina "Andre" Mid Century Glass and Chrome Dining Table For sale is this very nice vintage table , it has a great sleek and clean design. The glass is thick and th...
Metal