Postmodern Armchair Summa by Mario Bellini for Vitra, 1990s
View Similar Items
Postmodern Armchair Summa by Mario Bellini for Vitra, 1990s
About the Item
- Creator:Mario Bellini (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 34.26 in (87 cm)Width: 23.63 in (60 cm)Depth: 21.66 in (55 cm)Seat Height: 17.72 in (45 cm)
- Style:Post-Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1990s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Debrecen-Pallag, HU
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU3546328474662
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. He has been the recipient of multiple prestigious Compasso d’Oro design awards, and 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 Mario Bellini furniture — including dining tables, armchairs, mid-century sofas and more — today on 1stDibs.
- Mario Bellini "Forma" Cantilever Armchair for Vitra, Italy 1990sBy Mario BelliniLocated in Budapest, HUThe now historic story goes: “About 20 years ago Rolf Fehlbaum, the Chairman of Vitra, called me up and said: The things we’re making are too boring. We want to change that, and you...Category
1990s Italian Modern Armchairs
MaterialsMetal
- Cab 413 Chair by Mario Bellini for Cassina, 1990sBy Cassina, Mario BelliniLocated in Renens, CHCab 413 arm chair in black leather by Mario Bellini for Cassina: The Cab chair is built up as a tubular frame over which thick saddle leather is fitted; the leather skin is kept in ...Category
1990s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsMetal
- Mid-Century modern italian 1970 Armchair Design by Mario Bellini for CassinaBy Mario Bellini, CassinaLocated in Milan, IT1970s vintage armchair, Italian manufacture, design by Mario Bellini, Cassina production. The armchair has an orange leather upholstery Vintage design in good condition; but the leat...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsLeather
$1,054 Sale Price20% Off - 1990s Post-Modern Philippe Starck for Vitra Black Louis 20 Armchair, 3 AvailableBy Philippe Starck, VitraLocated in Secaucus, NJPhilippe Starck is regarded as the leading French figure in the area of new design in the eighties. In 1991 he designed the Louis 20 chair with the char...Category
1990s European Post-Modern Armchairs
MaterialsAluminum
- Armchair by Mario BelliniBy Cassina, Mario BelliniLocated in Sagaponack, NYA sublimely spare and masterfully constructed arm or dining chair having a lean rectilinear form wrapped in supple oiled leather with piping, zippered side panels and a down-filled ...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsLeather
$2,100 / item - Cab 414 Armchairs by Mario Bellini for CassinaBy Cassina, Mario BelliniLocated in Renens, CHTwo Cab 414 armchairs in cognac leather by Mario Bellini for Cassina. These very comfortable lounge chairs are built up with a tubular steel frame o...Category
Vintage 1980s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsMetal
$4,503 / item