Zanotta Follia Chair by Giuseppe Terragni

About the Item

Chair. Black seat and back. 18/8 stainless steel backrest support spring. Italy’s enfant prodige The twentieth century produced some great masters of Italian architecture, but the most loved by critics and the most studied by theorists is still Giuseppe Terragni, Italy’s enfant prodige, who had already created some of his most important designs by the age of 30, including the absolute Casa del Fascio of Como. For this project he also developed some pieces of furniture, including the Lariana chair and Sant’Elia armchair, both of which revolved around the same, original idea: a clear separation between the backrest and seat, relying on the elasticity and thus comfort of the two elements, which was obtained by maximising flexion of the structure’s metal tubing. Project year 1934 Collection: The Museum of Modern Art, New York - Die Neue Sammlung, München - Kunstgewerbemuseum, Berlin - Museum für Angewandte Kunst, Köln - Vitra Design Museum, Weil am Rhein.

Creator:
Zanotta (Manufacturer),Giuseppe Terragni (Designer)
Dimensions:
Height: 31.5 in (80 cm)Width: 19.69 in (50 cm)Depth: 23.63 in (60 cm)Seat Height: 16.15 in (41 cm)
Materials and Techniques:
Steel
Place of Origin:
Italy
Period:
2010-
Date of Manufacture:
contemporary
Production Type:
New & Custom(Current Production)
Estimated Production Time:
15-16 weeks
Condition:
Seller Location:
New York, NY
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU4465241449122

Shop All Zanotta

Zanotta

Entrepreneur Aurelio Zanotta founded Zanotta in 1954 in Nova Milanese, Italy. Originally called Zanotta Poltrona, it specialized in traditional furniture. By the early 1960s, however, Zanotta had established a reputation for edgy mid-century modern design. Today’s vintage furniture collectors know the brand well for its innovative and wholly sculptural chairs, coffee tables and more.

One of Zanotta’s earliest successes was the Mezzadro stool — better known as the Tractor stool — designed by Pier Giacomo Castiglioni and his brother Achille in the late 1950s. In 1965, Zanotta was among the first furniture companies to work with expanded polyurethane foam and frameless construction, such as for the Throw-Away sofas and armchairs designed by Willie Landels. Another popular design was the Blow chair — designed by Jonathan De Pas, Donato D’Urbino, Paolo Lomazzi and Carla Scolari — viewed by many as a physical expression of late '60s carefree culture.

In 1969, amid the provocative movement we now call Italian Radical Design, Zanotta’s Sacco chair garnered major attention. The boundary-pushing beanbag chair was the brainchild of designers Piero Gatti, Cesare Paolini and Franco Teodoro who presented it to Aurelio Zanotta as a transparent vinyl sack loosely filled with small polystyrene balls. He suggested its signature brightly colored leather.

The Sacco chair won the 1970 ADI Design Museum’s Compasso d’Oro award. In 1972, the Museum of Modern Art in New York included it in the landmark exhibition “Italy: The New Domestic Landscape” curated by designer Emilio Ambasz. In 2020, it received a Compasso d’Oro ADI Lifetime Achievement Award for 50 years of enduring popularity. It is now in museum collections around the world including the Triennale Design Museum of Milan, the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, and London’s Victoria & Albert Museum.

After Aurelio Zanotta died in 1991, the company remained in his family and has been run by his three children since 2002. Zanotta continues to set the bar high for furniture design with trend-setting pieces.

On 1stDibs, find a collection of vintage Zanotta seating, tables and other furniture.