Willy Rizzo Midcentury Italian Chair Wood and Leather for Mario Sabot, 1970s

Marvellous and elegant Italian showcase cabinet from 1970. The excellent quality of dark brown lacquer with glass panels embellished and solid brass is mixed with a lacquered shelf ...

Splendid square umbrella stand in brass and chrome. This stunning piece was designed in the Italy in the 70s in the style of Willy Rizzo. The umbrella stand consists of an elegant w...

Gorgeous Vide-Poche fully made in chrome and brass. This fantastic piece was designed in Italy during the 1970s and is attributed to a Willy Rizzo production. This lovely decorati...

Stunning cube shaped table lamp in brass and chrome braid, this wonderful item was designed in the Italy in the 70s in the style of Willy Rizzo. The contrast between the brass and th...

Stunning table lamp in brass and chrome with black and gold lampshade. This beautiful piece was designed in Italy in the style of Willy Rizzo. This gorgeous table lamp is fully mad...

Unique midcentury cubic dry bar in lacquered ash wood, mirrored steel and glass dry bar with hidden wheels. Willy Rizzo probably produced this incredible piece of barware in Italy during the 1970s. The wheeled bar cart's four sides are in mirrored chromed steel, while the top is in dark smoked glass. It moves thanks to four hidden wheels, and the structure is veneered black lacquered oak. A design masterpiece that will become a cult furniture element in a midcentury bar or living room. Italian designer and photographer Willy Rizzo (1928-2013) first came to prominence in the 1960s as both a chronicler of and participant in La Dolce Vita, the glamorous, jet set lifestyle enjoyed by many international celebrities and socialites in the postwar era. While photography was Rizzo's first love, in the 1970s he developed a passion for interiors and launched a second successful career as a luxury furniture designer. Rizzo was born in Naples in 1928 but moved to France early. After expressing an interest in photography at the age of 12, Rizzo's mother gifted him an Agfa Box camera; soon he was shooting portraits of his classmates at Paris's Istituto Statale Italiano Leonardo Da Vinci. In the 1940s, Rizzo began his career as a photojournalist, working for several French publications, including Ciné Mondial, Point de Vue, and Image du Monde. In the aftermath of the Second World War, Rizzo notably covered the Nuremberg Trials and travelled to Tunisia for Point de Vue to photograph the conflict in North Africa, later published in Life Magazine. As his reputation grew, he was hired by France Dimanche to take portraits of the rich and famous at flashy events like the Cannes Film Festival. Rizzo's charm won the trust of royalty, dignitaries, and movie stars, allowing him to capture these public figures in unusually candid moments. Hoping to advance his career further, Rizzo travelled to New York with Black Star Agency in 1947 to photograph American starlets. When he returned to Paris two years later, he was invited to join Jean Prouvost’s newest publication in colour, Paris Match, as head photographer—a position that he held for 20 years and, along the way, sparked a new culture of celebrity photographers who were as intriguing and fashionable as their subjects. In 1959, he became the artistic director of Marie Claire and collaborated with other fashion magazines, such as Vogue. Throughout his career, Rizzo photographed dozens of stars, including Brigitte Bardot, Maria Callas, Salvador Dalí, Marlene Dietrich, Jane Fonda, Gene Kelly, and Gregory Peck, as well as striking up close friendships with famous personalities like Coco Chanel, Christian Dior, and Jack Nicholson. In 1962, Rizzo famously captured some of the last moments of Marilyn Monroe’s life on film before tragically committing suicide a few weeks later. In 1968, Rizzo married Italian actress Elsa Martinelli, and the pair relocated to Rome. It was here that Rizzo began his work in furniture design, starting with his newly-leased, run-down Roman apartment. Just for personal use (at first), Rizzo created a series one-of-a-kind pieces inspired by modernist icons, such as Mies van der Rohe and Le Corbusier. But as his glitterati friends—Rodolfo Parisi, Gigli Rizzi, Franco Rapetti, Salvador Dalí, Brigitte Bardot, and the like—became admirers of his work, Rizzo was flooded with design commissions. Rizzo went on to furnish apartments for Italian aristocracy in the Palazzo Borghese and Palazzo Ruspoli that same year and quickly earned an international reputation as a designer to the rich and famous. In response to ever-growing demand, he launched his own Tivoli-based company dedicated to contemporary furniture design handmade in lux materials such as wood, marble, stainless steel, brass, and wild boar. Over time, his team of eight grew to 150, and he was able to open shops in France and throughout Europe, as well as in New York, Miami, and Los Angeles. With an emphasis on clean lines and geometric forms, Rizzo's tables, chairs, and accessories combined contemporary shapes with traditional materials—in contrast to many of his contemporaries, like Ettore Sottsass and Vico Magistretti, who were popularizing plastic, foam, and other synthetics in furniture production. Rizzo's most successful designs are many low, box-like tables in granite, metal, glass, or burled wood, often embellished with brass or chrome accents or built-in liquor cabinets or trays. Two examples of his most celebrated designs include the Alveo Coffee Table (1970s) for Mario Sabot and the circular Yin Yang Coffee Table...

Willy Rizzo, set of 4 chairs in lacquered wood, fabric and aluminum, Mario Sabot production. Models created in the 1970s

Unique Willy Rizzo for Mario Sabot set off four dining chairs made of curved wood lacquered in black shiny colour and leather padded cushions, custom made for these chairs, and hold ...

Willy Rizzo, Set of 6 Chairs in Lacquered Wood and steel for Mario Sabot, Italy 1960 there are lacks of paint on the top of all the chairs the upholstery needs to be redone the mo...

Very rare stool designed by Willy Rizzo and produce by Mario Sabot Italy in the 70s Lacquared wood and leather.

Mid Century modern set of eight Italian dinning chairs designed in style of Willy Rizzo for Mario Sabot. Made of black lacquered wood structure....

Coppia di sedie in legno di faggio tinto con imbottitura in espanso e rivestimento in tessuto.