Amanta Lounge chairs by Mario Bellini for C&B Italia, 1960s, set of 4
View Similar Items
Amanta Lounge chairs by Mario Bellini for C&B Italia, 1960s, set of 4
About the Item
- Creator:Mario Bellini (Designer),C&B Italia (Maker)
- Dimensions:Height: 25.2 in (64 cm)Width: 33.08 in (84 cm)Depth: 31.5 in (80 cm)Seat Height: 15.75 in (40 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 4
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1960s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Lasne, BE
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU4853237997112
Mario Bellini
Milan-born architect and designer Mario Bellini just may be the closest thing to a modern-day Renaissance man: His creative output spans genres, from electronics to furniture to architecture to cars, comprising iconic designs in each. Vintage Mario Bellini sofas, dining chairs and other seating pieces are widely coveted, and the designer has been the recipient of multiple prestigious Compasso d’Oro awards. More than 20 of his works are in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art.
Born in 1935, Bellini studied architecture at the Polytechnic University of Milan before founding his own firm in his native city in the early 1960s. He soon branched out beyond architecture, however, first for the tech manufacturer Olivetti, where he served as chief industrial design consultant from 1963 to 1991. During that time, Bellini oversaw the design of some of Olivetti’s most popular typewriters.
His penchant for electronic design didn’t stop there: Bellini also designed cameras for Fuji, televisions for Brionvega and a slew of audio devices for Yamaha, then served as design consultant for Renault and devised the interior of the 1980 Lancia Trevi for Fiat. Meanwhile, his architecture work spans continents, including such modern gems as the Museum of Islamic Arts at the Louvre, the National Gallery of Victoria extension in Melbourne, the Dubai Creek Complex and the Milan Convention Centre in his hometown.
And then there’s the furniture: Over the last 70 years, Bellini has designed office furniture for Vitra; lamps for Artemide, Erco and FLOS; porcelain for Rosenthal and long-admired sofas and other seating for Kartell, Natuzzi, B&B Italia, Cassina and more.
His oft-imitated 1977 Cab chair for Cassina, comprising 16 individual pieces of saddle leather that create a “skin” over a minimal metal frame, remains one of the manufacturer’s best sellers today. His pudgy-legged, round tables for Cassina foreshadow Faye Toogood’s widely loved Roly Poly line. His postmodern Summa armchairs for Kartell, as well as his elegant Chiara floor lamp, still lure collectors on vintage furniture websites.
Bellini’s most famous contribution to furniture design, though, may be his 1970 Camaleonda sofa for B&B Italia (then C&B Italia). An entrant to the 1972 MoMA show “Italy: The New Domestic Landscape,” the seat takes its name from the Italian words for chameleon and wave. Its bulbous, modular form makes it infinitely flexible. The sofa was a runaway hit at the show and, once discontinued, remained so popular among vintage dealers that B&B Italia reissued it in 2020 with all recycled materials and interchangeable seat covers. “Of all the objects I have designed, Camaleonda is perhaps the best in terms of its sense of freedom,” Bellini said.
Browse an expansive collection of vintage Mario Bellini furniture — including dining tables, armchairs, mid-century sofas and more — today on 1stDibs.
C&B Italia
In 1966, Piero Ambrogio Busnelli cofounded C&B Italia, a modern Italian furniture manufacturer, with Cesare Cassina in northern Milan. The Camaleonda sofa — a darling of the design world — is an iconic C&B piece created in 1970 by Milanese architect and designer Mario Bellini, which became a hit after its star turn in the 1972 exhibition “Italy: The New Domestic Landscape” at New York’s Museum of Modern Art. Soon afterward, however, the company split, with Cassina founding his own eponymous firm and Busnelli taking leadership of what became B&B Italia.
From the outset at C&B, Busnelli and Cassina set about recruiting the most talented modernists in Italy to conceive of creative furnishings manufactured in modern ways. As B&B, for decades, Busnelli cultivated relationships with the world’s best design talent, resulting in furniture pieces that remain legendary today — be they Gaetano Pesce’s outwardly curvaceous Up seating (made for C&B, reintroduced by B&B) or tables from industrial designer Paolo Piva, each more sophisticated than the next in their geometrically complex steel-tube bases. B&B Italia earned four prestigious Compasso d’Oro design awards: in 1979 for Bellini’s Le Bambole, in 1984 for the Sisamo wardrobe system by Studio Kairos, in 1987 for Antonio Citterio’s modular Sity sofa and, in 1989, the first award given to a manufacturing company itself.
Other notable names who designed for B&B Italia over the course of its 54-year history include Patricia Urquiola, Naoto Fukasawa, Zaha Hadid, Ettore Sottsass and Vincent Van Duysen, to name a very few. And while these names bring star power to the B&B brand, in many cases, it was B&B Italia who helped usher in their celebrity, fostering a wave of design talent on the world stage. Now, B&B Italia manages a contract division and outdoor section as well as its residential arm, and it also controls production for Maxalto, a brand spun out with furniture designs by Antonio Citterio.
At 1stDibs, find vintage C&B Italia furniture including sofas, armchairs, tables and more.
- "Le Bambole" lounge chair by Mario Bellini for C&B Italia, 1970sBy C&B Italia, Mario BelliniLocated in Lasne, BELounge chair in brown leather designed by Mario Bellini. Model: Le Bambole. Stamped C&B Italia under the seat. Wear due to time and age of the lounge chairCategory
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsLeather
- Lounge Chair by IVM, 1960sBy Geoffrey HarcourtLocated in Lasne, BESwivel armchair in black leather and plastic shell. Seat height 43cm. Wear due to time and age.Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsLeather, Plastic
- Pair of Rattan Lounge chairs, 1960sLocated in Lasne, BEPair of lounge chairs in rattan. Seat height: 22cm. Wear and tear due to time and age.Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsRattan
$2,302 / set - Elda Lounge Chair by Joe Colombo for Comfort, Italy, 1960sBy Comfort, Italy, Joe ColomboLocated in Lasne, BESwivel armchair in red leather and white shell. Seat height 40cm. Wear due to time and age.Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsMetal
- Elda Lounge Chair by Joe Colombo for Comfort, Italy 1960sBy Comfort, Italy, Joe ColomboLocated in Lasne, BESwivel armchair in beige leather and black shell by Joe Colombo. Elda model. Seat height 38cm. Wear due to time and age of armchair.Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsLeather, Fiberglass
- "Mies" Lounge chair with Ottoman by Archizoom Associati, 1960sBy Archizoom AssociatiLocated in Lasne, BEMetal and camel colored leather lounge chair with cowhide cushion and luminous ottoman by Archizoom Associati. Dimensions Ottoman: H: 31 cm W: 104 cm D: 20 cm. Wear due to time and a...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsMetal
- Set of 2 Blue Amanta Lounge Chairs by Mario Bellini for C&B Italia, 1970sBy Mario Bellini, C&B ItaliaLocated in Padova, ITAmanta lounge chair from 1966 (the year the company C&B was founded). The solution of the shell separated and upholstered from the padded part and made of plastic material defines...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Plastic
- Pair of Amanta armchairs by Mario Bellini for C&b Italia 1960sBy Mario Bellini, C&B ItaliaLocated in PARIS, FRAmanta armchair by Mario Bellini for C&B Italia, 1960s. The Amanta model was the first piece designed by Mario Bellini for the early days of the Italian firm. He was inspired by Ludw...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Space Age Armchairs
MaterialsFabric, Plastic
- Pair of Amanta armchairs by Mario Bellini for C&b Italia 1960sBy Mario Bellini, C&B ItaliaLocated in PARIS, FRAmanta chair set by Mario Bellini for C&B Italia, 1960s. The Amanta model was the first piece designed by Mario Bellini for the Italian firm's debut. He drew inspiration from Ludwig ...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Space Age Armchairs
MaterialsFabric, Plastic
- Set of 3 Red Amanta Lounge Chairs/Sofa by Mario Bellini for C&B Italia, 1970sBy Mario Bellini, C&B ItaliaLocated in Padova, ITAmanta lounge chair from 1966 (the year the company was founded). The solution of the shell separated and upholstered from the padded part and made of plastic material defines the...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Plastic
- Set of 4 Mario Bellini Sofaelements, Modell "Amanta" for C&B Italia 1960By Mario Bellini, C&B ItaliaLocated in Wolfurt, ATThe set consists of four beige leather modular sofa elements, designed by Mario Bellini for the renowned manufacturer C&B Italia, which is now known as B&B Italia. The elegant pieces...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsLeather, Fiberglass
- Mario Bellini Amanta Lounge Chair C&B Italia B&B Italia Modular SofaBy Mario Bellini, C&B ItaliaLocated in Berlin, BEThe AMANTA sofa range by Bellini, using Fiberlite (fibreglass-reinforced polyester). The flexibility was made possible by the strategically placed vertical...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsFiberglass, Leather