Hammered Bronze Bed by Osvaldo Borsani and Arnaldo Pomodoro, Tecno, 1960
View Similar Items
Hammered Bronze Bed by Osvaldo Borsani and Arnaldo Pomodoro, Tecno, 1960
About the Item
- Creator:
- Dimensions:Height: 49.22 in (125 cm)Width: 76.38 in (194 cm)Depth: 70.87 in (180 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1960
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Saint Ouen, FR
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU96016181253
Osvaldo Borsani
With his stylish and technically innovative furniture, Osvaldo Borsani helped change the face of Italian design in the 1950s and ’60s. His sofas and chairs, featuring deeply upholstered seating and adjustable position settings, have an aura of optimism and efficiency that still seems fresh and lively today.
Born in the commune of Varedo in northern Italy’s Lombardy region, Borsani studied at the Brera Academy in Milan — the same school attended by such luminaries as designer Piero Fornasetti and artist Lucio Fontana — as well as the Polytechnic University of Milan. Borsani first worked for his father’s furniture-making firm, Arredamenti Borsani, an atelier influenced by the more expressive and curvaceous wing of Art Deco design.
By 1953, when, along with his twin brother, Fulgenzio — the pair also created this visionary mid-century villa — Borsani opened the furniture company Tecno, his design sensibilities had evolved toward furnishings with strong, simple forms enhanced by mechanical innovations, as with the P40 adjustable armchair (1953). Borsani would be the firm’s lead designer for 30 years, while fostering work by Vico Magistretti, Carlo di Carli, Robin Day and others.
Similar to Gio Ponti in the earliest years of his career, Borsani first created designs marked by lush and buoyant lines: tables with voluptuous curved legs, sofas with undulating backrests. But Borsani’s best-known and most novel pieces date from Tecno’s initial furniture lines: the adjustable D70 sofa, which folds open to make a daybed, and the P40 recliner. The latter — now included in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art and the Victoria & Albert Museum — is an articulated lounger with a back, seat and leg rest that can be moved into 486 different positions. Not only is it extremely comfortable, it is also enduringly chic.
Find a collection of vintage Osvaldo Borsani tables, dining chairs and other furniture on 1stDibs.
Tecno
Eugenio Gerli (b. 1923) is an Italian architect and industrial designer known for his long-lasting collaboration with the Italian architect-designer Osvaldo Borsani and the Italian manufacturer Tecno. In 1949, Gerli graduated with a degree in engineering and began his career a year later, opening his own architectural and industrial design practice. Architecturally, the firm focused on residential and public buildings, as well as the renovation of historic Italian buildings. Notable architectural projects include the Cardiology Clinic in Laveno-Mombello (1950), the Ambasciatori Theater in Milan (1954), the renovation and restoration of the Castiglioni Palace (1903). Gerli was joined by his two sons, Enrico and Guido, in the 1970s. In 1957, Gerli began a long and fruitful collaboration with the Borsani brothers, Fulgenzio and Osvaldo Borsani (1911–85), founders of the Italian furniture manufacturing company Tecno. In 1968, Gerli and Osvaldo Borsani exhibited their revolutionary Graphis Office System (1967) at the 14th Triennale di Milano. The system, which was made up of just three basic elements, was heralded as a revolution in office furniture design because the system’s modular components allowed unlimited and customizable combinations, which could grow (or contract) with the company. The system remained a bestseller for decades, and Tecno became synonymous for technologically-advanced design. The partnership between Gerli and Tecno lasted for more than 35 years. During the 1970s, Tecno launched its Centro Progetti Tecno (CPT), an in-house team dedicated to communications and industrial design work. The team, which included Gerli, Valeria Borsani, Kugo Toru, Borsani and his son Marco, became a driving force of technologically advanced ideas in design. Although Borsani remained in charge, the purpose of the department was to present future designs as group creations. The CPT was responsible for a number of the company’s successes, including the molded plastic Modus Office Chair (1972), which won the SMAU Prize in 1973; the steel mesh Waiting System (1983), a modular seating and table concept for large public spaces; and the rebranding of Alitalia worldwide (1982–84), for which Centro Progetti Tecno was awarded the Compasso d’Oro in 1984. Although Gerli's career as an architect-designer was prolific, his work is often overshadowed by his contemporaries and the legacy of his long-term partner, Osvaldo Borsani.
- Brass and Bronze Bed by Osvaldo Borsani and Arnaldo Pomodoro, circa 1958By Osvaldo Borsani, Arnaldo PomodoroLocated in London, GBA rare and beautiful bed frame from the Italian designer, Osvaldo Borsani, and sculptor, Arnaldo Pomodoro. Produced circa 1958, the principal structure of the bed, designed by Borsan...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Beds and Bed Frames
MaterialsBrass, Bronze, Steel
$15,124 Sale Price26% Off - Osvaldo Borsani & Arnaldo Pomodoro Brass Bed, Italy, 1970sBy Osvaldo Borsani, Arnaldo PomodoroLocated in Brussels, BEOsvaldo Borsani & Arnaldo Pomodoro brass bed, Italy, 1970s.Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Beds and Bed Frames
MaterialsBrass
- Vintage Italian Brass Bed Structure by Osvaldo Borsani and Arnaldo PomodoroBy Osvaldo Borsani, Arnaldo PomodoroLocated in Milano, ITOsvaldo Borsani and Arnaldo Pomodoro are two famous and well respected exponents of Italian creativity, Both active in the second half of the 20th century. The first was an architect...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Beds and Bed Frames
MaterialsMetal, Brass
- Osvaldo Borsani and Arnaldo Pomodoro Double Bed Model No. 8604, Italy, 1962By Osvaldo Borsani, Arnaldo PomodoroLocated in Milan, ITRare Osvaldo Borsani and Arnaldo Pomodoro double bed model no. 8604, Italy, 1962 Spectacular color coordination a Masterpiece. Numbered brass pieces, original bedsprings and origin...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Beds and Bed Frames
MaterialsMetal, Copper, Brass
- Osvaldo Borsani Elegant Bed with Brass Details by Arnaldo Pomodoro, 1950By Osvaldo BorsaniLocated in Rome, ITImportant brass bed frame from the Italian designer, Osvaldo Borsani and sculptor, Arnaldo Pomodoro. A fine piece of midcentury Italian bedroom furniture that will look fabulous in ...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Beds and Bed Frames
MaterialsBrass
$10,554 Sale Price20% Off - Osvaldo Borsani Elegant Bed with Brass Details by Arnaldo Pomodoro, 1950By Osvaldo BorsaniLocated in Rome, ITImportant brass bed frame from the Italian designer, Osvaldo Borsani and sculptor, Arnaldo Pomodoro. A fine piece of midcentury Italian bedroom furniture that will look fabulous in ...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Beds and Bed Frames
MaterialsBrass
Recently Viewed
View AllRead More
Mid-Century Master Osvaldo Borsani Gets His Due at Donzella
The New York City gallery has devoted its latest show to the work of the modernist Italian designer.
Peek inside Osvaldo Borsani’s Mod Italian Villa
The iconic mid-century estate outside of Milan opens its doors to the public for a very special homage.