Set of 6 Luisa Chairs by Franco Albini
View Similar Items
Set of 6 Luisa Chairs by Franco Albini
About the Item
- Creator:Franco Albini (Designer),Poggi (Manufacturer)
- Design:
- Dimensions:Height: 30.32 in (77 cm)Width: 22.05 in (56 cm)Depth: 21.66 in (55 cm)Seat Height: 17.72 in (45 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 6
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:circa 1950
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Piacenza, IT
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU1031624663852
Luisa Chair
After working for approximately 15 years through several prototypes of the design (one of which was manufactured by Knoll in the late 1940s), the Italian designer, architect and urban planner Franco Albini (1905–77) finished what is considered to be a masterpiece: the Luisa chair. The dignified armchair is upholstered in warm red fabric and named after Luisa Colombini, Albini’s personal assistant and secretary of two decades. Lightweight and initially available in teak, mahogany and beech, the definitive version of the Luisa chair was put into production by Poggi in 1955.
The Luisa is often compared to the similarly minimal and sturdy Leggera chair conceived by like-minded rationalist architect and designer Giò Ponti, under whom Albini apprenticed after receiving his degree in architecture from the Polytechnic University of Milan in 1929.
Not unlike Ponti’s work, Albini’s designs often merged traditional Italian craftsmanship with the modernist flourishes that had occupied Italian rationalists. It was this blend of functionalism and style that earned Albini numerous awards, including several Compasso d’Oro prizes, a prestigious Italian award for excellence in industrial design. His first Compasso d’Oro was for the Luisa chair, which is part of the permanent collection at the Museum of Modern Art in New York and is still manufactured by Cassina.
Franco Albini
While working under the polymath Gio Ponti — arguably the most important figure in 20th-century Italian modernism — furniture designer Franco Albini nurtured a love for modern forms combined with traditional craft techniques.
Albini is widely known for working with organic materials such as rattan and cane for his chairs and other seating, but he also played a pivotal role in the Italian rationalist movement of the early 20th century, which saw architects and furniture makers applying a strict emphasis on geometry in their work. Rationalists drew on Ancient Roman architecture but rejected ornament, much in the way that Le Corbusier and celebrated Bauhaus figures such as Ludwig Mies van der Rohe had in their modernist furniture.
Albini received his degree in architecture from the Polytechnic University of Milan in 1929, and, in 1931, he founded his practice in Milan, where he tackled workers’ housing and other reconstruction projects. A gifted urban planner, he also developed the Palazzo Bianco, Palazzo Rosso and Tesoro di San Lorenzo museums in Genoa. While Albini is revered for his Margherita chair — a Triennale Milano award winner created for Bonacina in 1951 — he also collaborated with manufacturers Poggi and Cassina in the 1940s on seating, tables and more that embodied his artistic vision. Of that mid-century work, the one piece that perhaps best captures this vision is the iconic Luisa chair.
With its cherry red upholstery and sinuous wooden legs that seem to float aboveground, the Luisa is a genuine masterpiece. It is also a testament to Albini’s perfectionism, as it endured several prototypes — including one made by Knoll in the late 1940s — and took approximately 15 years to design. Poggi launched the final version of the armchair in 1955, earning Albini the prestigious Compasso d’Oro from Italy’s Association for Industrial Design. It is produced today by Cassina. Albini named the chair for someone who likely saw the process firsthand: his personal secretary of two decades, Luisa Colombini.
Find vintage Franco Albini furniture on 1stDibs.
- Pair of Iconic Margherita Rattan Armchairs by Franco Albini for BonacinaBy Franco Albini, BonacinaLocated in Piacenza, ItalyBeautiful couple of Iconic Franco Albini armchairs model "Margherita" 1951, manufactured by Bonacina. Margherita is considered the first "legless" armchair of Italian design. The p...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsRattan
- Midcentury Gala armchair by Franco Albini for Bonacina, 1951By Franco Albini, BonacinaLocated in Piacenza, ItalyGala armchairs by Franco Albini for Bonacina. In the 1950s Franco Albini combined formal experimentation with the recovery of a "poor" material to be worked by hand, the rattan. The...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsBamboo, Rattan
- Midcentury Italian "Margherita" Rattan Armchairs by Franco Albini for BonacinaBy Franco Albini, BonacinaLocated in Piacenza, ItalyIconic Franco Albini armchair model "Margherita" 1951, manufactured by Bonacina. Margherita is considered the first "legless" armchair of Italian design. The piece pays homage to th...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsRattan
- Set of Six "Leggera" Chairs by Gio PontiBy Gio PontiLocated in Piacenza, ItalyExtraordinary set of six original "Leggera" chairs designed by Gio Ponti. Iconic chair in early edition, newly reupholstered in green blue cotton. Manufactured by Cassina, model 64...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsWood
$9,282 / set - Set of midcentury Italian Wall Lights by Franco Albini for Sirrah, 1968By Sirrah, Franca Helg, Antonio Piva and Franco AlbiniLocated in Piacenza, ItalyStunning wall lights model AS3C Designed by Franco Albini, Franca Helg e Antonio Piva. Produced by Sirrah in Italy, circa 1968-1971. The light can be mounted with the lampshade facin...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights and Sconces
MaterialsGlass
- Set of Six Chairs Attributed to Ico ParisiBy Ico ParisiLocated in Piacenza, ItalyElegant shaped chairs, attributed to Ico Parisi. They have been recently reupholstered in gray, light blue and white cotton fabric in 1950s vintage style.Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsWood
$7,425 / set
- Set of 2 Franco Albini, "Luisa" chairs, Production Poggi, PaviaBy Franco Albini, PoggiLocated in Wolfurt, ATThis set of two Italian chairs was designed by Franco Albini for Poggi in the 1950s. The "Luisa" model is a simple, timeless design and is made of walnut wood and red fabric on the b...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Wood
- Franco Albini Luisa Chair for Cassina, Italy, newBy Cassina, Franco AlbiniLocated in Berlin, DEChair designed by Franco Albini in 1953. Relaunched in 2013. Manufactured by Cassina in Italy. The price given applies to the chair as seen in the first picture.Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsLeather, Wood, Fabric
$2,828 / item - Group four chairs 'Luisa' Franco Albini for Poggi 1950sBy Franco Albini, PoggiLocated in Milano, ITArmchairs model 'Luisa' designed by Franco Albini and produced by Poggi from 1955. Wooden frame, seat and back with foam padding and fabric upholstery.Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Wood
- Set of Six "Luisa” Chairs by Franco Albini for PoggiBy Franco Albini, PoggiLocated in Madrid, ESA set of six "Luisa" chairs designed by Franco Albini for Poggi, Italy, 1950. Beautifully reupholstered in pale rose color Patricia Urquiola fabrics. Excellent condition. Prix "Comp...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Wood
$2,347 / item - Pair of Rosewood Chairs "Luisa" by Franco Albini, 1950sBy Franco AlbiniLocated in Roma, ITPair of Rosewood Chairs is an original design furniture realized in the 1950s. Original Velvet Upholstery chairs. In the style of Franco Alb...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Chairs
MaterialsVelvet, Wood
- Set of Four Franco Albini Luisa Chairs, Wood and Fabric by CassinaBy Franco Albini, CassinaLocated in Barcelona, BarcelonaChair designed by Franco Albini in 1953. Relaunched in 2013. Manufactured by Cassina in Italy. The small armchair, dubbed Luisa, is the fruit of a fifteen-year process of explora...Category
2010s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsWood, Fabric