Guglielmo Ulrich, a Superb Ebonized Open Armchair, circa 1940

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Guglielmo Ulrich, a Superb Ebonized Open Armchair, circa 1940

About the Item

The striking and wonderfully designed ebonised beech open armchair or elbow chair by Guglielmo Ulrich (1904-1977), having a jade green vinyl seat and back, the angular arms with brass stud detailing, surviving from the second quarter of 20th century, Italy. In almost perfect order the chair has wear only commensurate with age and use, with no flaws to report. There is wear to the ebonised finish in places; as one would expect. Guglielmo Ulrich was born in 1904 in Milan, to a notable family of Danish descent, which is perhaps where he first developed his meticulous taste and appreciation for elegance and refinement. Though of the time, his work is not always easily recognisable as being from the period in which it was conceived. Ulrich reinvented traditional 18th- and 19th-century sophistication in a form combining contemporary comfort and panache. His evolutionary technique is perhaps most evident in his many progressive chair designs, as we see here, while other more autonomous pieces would be developed into a series of variations on one theme. By the 1940s,when this chair was designed, there was a strengthening of the relationship between interior decoration and new artistic disciplines, which played a large role in the future of Italian design in the period after War War II. For the majority of Ulrich's work the common theme is that his furniture is deliberately visible against the backdrop of the room. It is not supposed to blend in; subtlety was not a priority or even a consideration when it came to most of his designs. In short, this piece is a wonderful example of that striking sculptural visibility.

Creator:
Guglielmo Ulrich (Designer)
Dimensions:
Height: 37 in (93.98 cm)Width: 24.5 in (62.23 cm)Depth: 24.5 in (62.23 cm)
Style:
Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
Materials and Techniques:
Beech,Ebonized
Place of Origin:
Italy
Period:
1940-1949
Date of Manufacture:
circa 1940
Condition:
Wear consistent with age and use. Please see description for full condition report and photographs for visual reference.
Seller Location:
Bedford, GB
Reference Number:
Seller: 17181stDibs: LU194439527901

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Guglielmo Ulrich

Furniture designer Guglielmo Ulrich was born in Milan to a family with Danish origins. After completing his studies at the Brera Academy, the Scuola Speciale di Architettura and the Polytechnic University of Milan in 1927, Ulrich’s status quickly rose in high-society circles, as he’d gained a reputation for creating elegant interiors for a range of commercial and private clients. Architecture and furniture design in Milan was evolving during the era owing to industrialization, and Ulrich’s modernist work was seen as fresh and forward-looking.

In 1930, Ulrich established the furniture company ARCA — which was short for Arredamento Casa — with colleagues Attilio Scaglia and Renato Wild. Together they created a platform for Ulrich’s designs, which were quite different from the typical furnishings found in Europe at the time.

Ulrich favored simple lines — tapered table and chair legs, lean silhouettes — and the graceful contours of his console tables and dining chairs are representative of an endeavor to streamline neoclassical forms. He created luxurious but practical furniture and home accessories that featured an emphasis on craftsmanship as well as an integration of exotic materials such as ebonized wood, opaline glass and green marble. Ulrich’s designs were very much in line with what we now know as the Art Deco style, which was officially introduced to the world in 1925 at Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes in Paris. He collaborated with legendary architect and designer Gio Ponti on designs for a hotel property in the late 1930s and co-edited Ponti’s revered Domus magazine with Milanese architect Melchiorre Bega.

By the 1950s, Ulrich was firmly established as one of the most influential Milanese designers, having a hand in designing homes, commercial properties and more. In 1961, he won the Fiera di Trieste award for his lightweight Trieste chair, a seat that shared common ground with Ponti’s iconic Superleggera chair and was produced by Saffa.

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