- Want more images or videos?Request additional images or videos from the seller
Franco Albini Luisa Dining Chairs for Poggi, set of 6, Italy, 1950's
About the Item
- Creator:Poggi (Maker),Franco Albini (Designer)
- Design:
- Dimensions:Height: 29.75 in (75.57 cm)Width: 21.75 in (55.25 cm)Depth: 21 in (53.34 cm)Seat Height: 17.5 in (44.45 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1950s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. No restoration. Original fabric is fraying. Some fading of wood. All joints sound.
- Seller Location:New York, NY
- Reference Number:
Luisa Chair
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.
Shipping & Returns
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: New York, NY
- Return Policy
A return for this item may be initiated within 2 days of delivery.
- 1960's Italian Walnut Dining Chairs, set of 6Located in New York, NYSet of 6 Walnut Dining Chairs, Italy, 1960's This great looking set of refined, spare dining chairs have a distinctive carved offset detail to ...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsWalnut
- Set of 6 Rope Dining Chairs by Audoux Minet for Vibo Vesoul France, C. 1950By Adrien Audoux and Frida Minet, ViboLocated in New York, NYSet of 6 rope dining chairs by Audoux Minet for Vibo Vesoul France, c. 1950 This set of six informal dining chairs are coveted Audoux Minet classics. Made of beechwood with the desi...Category
Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsRope, Beech
- Rustic Scalloped Edge Dining Chairs, Set of 10, Italy, 1940'sBy Vittorio ValabregaLocated in New York, NYVittorio Valabrega Rustic Primitive Dining Chairs, Set of 10, 1940's Rare set of rustic Deco chairs. Their appearance is both heavy and light thanks to the ladder back. Carved in Oa...Category
Mid-20th Century European Rustic Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsOak
- Vittorio Valabrega Rustic Scalloped Edge Dining Chairs, Set of 10, Italy, 1940'sBy Vittorio ValabregaLocated in New York, NYVittorio Valabrega Rustic Primitive Dining Chairs, Set of 10 This is an extremely rare set of rustic Deco chairs. Their appearance is both heavy and light thanks to the ladder back....Category
Vintage 1940s Italian Rustic Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsOak
- Lantern Pendant by Angelo Lelii for Arredoluce, Italy, 1950sBy Angelo LeliiLocated in New York, NYOpaline Glass Pendant Lantern designed by Angelo Lelii. This iconic lantern is a clear example of Angelo Lelii's mastery of scale, proportion and detailing. The gently arced brass ...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
MaterialsMetal, Brass
- Mid-century Wingback Recliner Lounge Chairs, Renzo Franchi, 1950's, ItalyLocated in New York, NYMid-century Wingback Recliner Lounge Chairs, Renzo Franchi, 1950's, Italy Reclining lounge chairs with cherry frames and brass details. These armchairs ...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsCherry
- Franco Albini for Poggi Midcentury Italian Luisa Chairs, Set of 7By Franco Albini, PoggiLocated in Countryside, ILFranco Albini for Poggi midcentury Italian Luisa chairs - Set of 7 Each chair measures: 22 wide x 21 deep x 30.5 inches high, with a seat height of 18 and arm height/chair clearan...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsUpholstery, 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. Excellent condition. Prix "Compaso d'oro(1955).Weight eac...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsWood, Fabric
$2,566 / item - Set of 4, Cassina Luisa Dining Chairs by Franco AlbiniBy Franco AlbiniLocated in New York, NYDesigned by Albini in the 1950s Reissued by Cassina in the early 2000s Beautiful black leather chairs with classic floating back design.Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsLeather
- Set of 6 SD9 "Luisella" Chairs by Franco Albini for Poggi, Italy, 60'sBy Franco Albini, PoggiLocated in Padova, ITBorn in Milan in 1905, Franco Albini is an Italian architect, urban planner and furniture designer, active between the 1930s and 1960s. He studied at the Milan Polytechnic and completed his apprenticeship under the guidance of the architect and designer Gio Ponti, and played a key role in the formulation of the Italian Rationalist movement in the years before the Second World War. Albini works with several well-known mid-century manufacturers, among which Cassina, Arflex, Poggi, Arteluce, Brionvega, and Knoll stand out, and many of his designs are still in production today. He has received many honors for his work, including three Compasso d'Oro. The professional story of the furniture maker Roberto...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsFaux Leather, Wood
- Franco Albini for Poggi, Italy, circa 1953, Vintage "Luisa" Chair.By Franco AlbiniLocated in Wargrave, BerkshireFranco Albini for Poggi, Italy circa 1953. The "Luisa" (named in honour of the designers wife) chair with seemless wooden frame featuring the famous knuckle joint at the point of int...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsWood
- Franco Albini for Poggi circa 1950, Folding ChairBy Franco AlbiniLocated in Wargrave, BerkshireFranco Albini for Poggi, Italy, circa 1950. A folding chair of wooden construction in completely original untouched vintage condition. Mech...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsWood
Recently Viewed
View MoreThe 1stDibs Promise
Learn MoreExpertly Vetted Sellers
Confidence at Checkout
Price-Match Guarantee
Exceptional Support
Buyer Protection
Trusted Global Delivery