Eugenio Gerli Green Fabric PS142 Italian Armchairs for Tecno, Italy, 1960s

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Eugenio Gerli Green Fabric PS142 Italian Armchairs for Tecno, Italy, 1960s

Name: Eugenio Gerli Green Fabric PS142 Italian Armchairs for Tecno, Italy, 1960s
Brand: Eugenio Gerli, Tecno
Rating: 5 (24 reviews)

About the Item

Eugenio Gerli Green Fabric PS142 Italian armchairs for Tecno, Italy 1960s Six "PS142" armchair designed by Eugenio Gerli for Tecno, Italy. These beautiful ‘split back’ armchair sit very comfortable and are in great original condition with original green fabric upholstery of very good quality that can be used as lounge, reception, side, or game seating. The chairs showcase a split barrel back and rounded edges; each chair has a detachable seat supported on a metal frame with coated spring cords, two chromed castors in the front and two in the back. 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. Gerli began experimenting with various materials such as resin, felt, and molded plywood, which led to designs he presented in 1951 at the 9th Triennale di Milano; his bent plywood armchair for Forma (1950s); and the three-legged Sommaruga Chair (1950s), which was made from resin reinforced molded felt on a steel base. 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-Monbello (1950), the Ambasciatori Theater in Milan (1954), the renovation and restoration of the Castiglioni Palace (1903). Gerli was later 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 (1911-1985)—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, and resulted in many 20th-century design classics such as the T92 Butterfly Table (1960 with Mario Cristiani); T69 Table (1963 with Borsani), which features a cast dovetailing central base; the stackable S83 Chair (1966), and the PS142 and S142 armchairs (both 1966), among others. 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.

Creator:
Tecno (Manufacturer),Eugenio Gerli (Designer)
Dimensions:
Height: 26.78 in (68 cm)Width: 26.78 in (68 cm)Depth: 23.23 in (59 cm)Seat Height: 16.54 in (42 cm)
Sold As:
Set of 6
Style:
Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
Materials and Techniques:
Fabric,Steel
Place of Origin:
Italy
Period:
Mid-20th Century
Date of Manufacture:
1960s
Condition:
Wear consistent with age and use.
Seller Location:
Almelo, NL
Reference Number:
Seller: 32051stDibs: LU3696330777072

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Tecno

From his early start at his father’s boutique furniture and cabinetry atelier — Arredamenti Borsani (ABV) — Italian designer Osvaldo Borsani began to steadily dream to life the movement-inducing pieces that would eventually lead to him founding his innovative furniture company, Tecno, with his twin brother, Fulgenzio.

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. He first worked for the family furniture-making firm, ABV, an atelier influenced by the more expressive and curvaceous wing of Art Deco design. Borsani took over Arredamenti Borsani in 1937.

With his stylish and technically innovative furniture, 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.

While he is today recognized as a master of mid-century modernist Italian furniture, Borsani is most famous these days for cofounding Tecno. (He and Fulgenzio also created Villa Borsani, a visionary mid-century estate cherished for its modern lines and exquisite custom furnishings.)

When Borsani opened Tecno, an office-focused maker of industrial design, his design sensibilities had evolved toward furnishings with strong, simple forms enhanced by mechanical innovations, as with the P40 adjustable armchair.

When they were originally released, Tecno pieces like the P40 and the award-winning D70 sofa bed were acclaimed as cutting-edge, and they are still considered groundbreaking in their adaptability and functionality. The firm quickly garnered widespread acclaim for its tech-forward designs and quality craftsmanship.

Borsani would be Tecno’s lead designer for 30 years, while partnering on projects with the likes of architect Eugenio Gerli and fostering work by Vico Magistretti, Carlo De Carli, Robin Day and others.

Borsani designed pieces for Tecno until shortly before his death in 1985, when his daughter Valeria and her husband, Marco Fantoni, took over the creative work.