Tobia Scarpa Dialogo armchair with leather seat.
View Similar Items
Tobia Scarpa Dialogo armchair with leather seat.
About the Item
- Creator:Afra & Tobia Scarpa (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 31.5 in (80 cm)Width: 21.26 in (54 cm)Depth: 22.84 in (58 cm)Seat Height: 16.93 in (43 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:Circa 1975
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Very good vintage condition.
- Seller Location:Oberstown, Lusk, IE
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU108202722692
Afra & Tobia Scarpa
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.
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.
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 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.)
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 Afra & Tobia Scarpa furniture today on 1stDibs.
- Italian "Dialogo" Leather Chair By Tobia & Afra Scarpa For B&BBy Afra & Tobia ScarpaLocated in Brussels, BEItalian "Dialogo" Leather Chair By Tobia & Afra Scarpa For B&B - Sold Individually Italy, 1970sCategory
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsMetal
- Tacchini Dialogo Leather & Walnut Armchair by Tobia Scarpa in STOCKBy Tobia Scarpa, TacchiniLocated in New York, NYDIALOGO ARMCHAIR 47x51 CAT. Z - PELLE ANILINA 02 WALNUT STRUCTURE T169 FIRE RETARDANT FOAM CAL117 A rectangular frame with rounded edges, masterful joints, and strictly visible dowe...Category
2010s Italian Armchairs
MaterialsLeather, Walnut
- Afra & Tobia Scarpa for B&B Set of Six 'Dialogo' Dining ChairsBy B&B Italia, Afra & Tobia ScarpaLocated in Waalwijk, NLAfra and Tobia Scarpa for B&B Italia, set of six ‘Dialogo’ dining chairs, black lacquered wood, fiberglass, Italy, 1970s The ‘Dialogo’ dining c...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsFiberglass, Wood
- Afra & Tobia Scarpa for B&B Set of Eight 'Dialogo' Dining ChairsBy B&B Italia, Afra & Tobia ScarpaLocated in Waalwijk, NLAfra and Tobia Scarpa for B&B Italia, set of eight ‘Dialogo’ dining chairs, black lacquered wood, fiberglass, Italy, 1970s The ‘Dialogo’ dining chair was designed by Afra and Tobia...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Post-Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsFiberglass, Wood
- Bonanza 1 seat armchair by Afra & Tobia Scarpa, for C&B, Italy, 1970'sBy Afra & Tobia ScarpaLocated in Brussels , BEVery comfortable and elegant armchair. We also have the two seaters and three seaters available.Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsLeather
- Three Bastiano Armchairs in Leather by Tobia Scarpa, Haimi Finland, 1960sBy Tobia Scarpa, Afra & Tobia Scarpa, HaimiLocated in Helsinki, FIThree Bastiano armchairs in leather by Tobia Scarpa for Haimi Finland, from the 1960s. Palisander frame with congac leather seats. Good vintage condi...Category
Vintage 1960s Finnish Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsLeather, Rosewood
$1,925 Sale Price / item20% Off