Franco Albini Gala Chair for Bonacina, Italy, 1950

View Similar Items

Franco Albini Gala Chair for Bonacina, Italy, 1950

Midcentury Gala armchair by Franco Albini for Bonacina, 1951

Franco Albini for Bonacina Set Margherita Chair and Ottoman, Italy, 1950s

Restored Pair of 1950s Margherita Chairs by Franco Albini for Vittorio Bonacina

Midcentury Italian "Margherita" Rattan Armchairs by Franco Albini for Bonacina

Franco Albini rare folding chair for Poggi, Italy, 1952

Franco Albini For Bonacina Italian Vintage Stool In Bamboo And Wicker

Franco Albini Lounge Chair

Franco Albini rare "Fiorenza" lounge chair for Arflex, Italy, 1953

Franco Albini for Bonacina Pair of Rattan and Bamboo Stools, Italy, 1960s

Organic Riviera Style Vintage Rattan Lounge Chair Franco Albini 1950s Italy

Franco Albini Lounge Chair for Knoll, Model 49

Want more images or videos?

Request additional images or videos from the seller

1 of 11

Franco Albini Gala Chair for Bonacina, Italy, 1950

About the Item

An eye-catching "Gala Chair", designed by Franco Albini, manufactured by Bonacina in Italy, circa 1950. This impressive piece is very well crafted of high quality rattan, nicely shaped in different curves with a great eye for detail. The rattan connections at the bottom of the feet has been restored, as can be seen by the color difference. Within three months they will have the same color as the rest of the rattan, per influence from natural light. It remains in very good, vintage condition with minor wear consistent with age and use, preserving a beautiful patina. Franco Albini (17 October 1905 – 1 November 1977) was an Italian Neo-Rationalist architect and designer. A native of Robbiate, near Milan, Albini obtained his degree in architecture at Politecnico di Milano University in 1929 and began his professional career working for Gio Ponti. He started displaying his works at Milan Triennale. In 1930 he opened his own practice. Through his creations, the modern furniture design merged the Italian traditional artisanship with the new forms of modernism. In his creations, he used raw, inexpensive materials. He exploited the very skilled Italian craftsmanship. This also meant an elegant design based on a minimalist aesthetic. One of the first, successful works in 1939 is a radio, encased in glass, so to show its internal components. In 1928 Albini designed the now-iconic "Albini Desk," combining steel, glass and wood with a striking minimalistic balance, and introduced by Knoll in 1949. In 1950 he designed the famous and fashionable "Margherita" and "Gala" chairs, made of woven cane. In 1952 he created the "Fiorenza" armchair for Arflex; in 1955 the "Luisa" chair; in 1956 the "Rocking chaise" for Poggi. In the 1960s he worked on industrial design as well as important architectural projects. In 1961 he designed the Rome Rinascente building. Three years later he designed in a team of experts many Milan subway stations. In 1964 the television set he created for Brionvega was displayed at the Milan Triennial. In the same year, he created various lamps for Arteluce. Franco Albini, among other companies, worked for: Brionvega, Cassina, Arflex, Arteluce and Poggi. Albini was also an architect and interior designer. Among the others, in 1945 he created the 'Zanini Fur Shop' located in Milan. As writer and editor, from 1945-1946 he worked for the Italian magazine Casabella. Albini obtained three Compasso d'Oro awards, the most prestigious Italian design prize.

Creator:
Franco Albini (Designer),Bonacina (Manufacturer)
Dimensions:
Height: 37.41 in (95 cm)Width: 35.44 in (90 cm)Depth: 35.44 in (90 cm)Seat Height: 15.75 in (40 cm)
Style:
Mid-Century Modern (In the Style Of)
Materials and Techniques:
Rattan
Place of Origin:
Italy
Period:
Mid-20th Century
Date of Manufacture:
1950
Condition:
Wear consistent with age and use.
Seller Location:
Amsterdam, NL
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU1039811363611

Shop All Franco Albini

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.