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Pair of 'Elettra' Lounge Chairs by BBPR, Arflex, Italy 1953, Compasso D'Oro 1954

About the Item

Stunning and rare pair of original period 'Elettra' lounge chairs by the famous ground breaking architect studio partnership BBPR (Gianluigi Banfi (1910-1945), Lodovico Barbiano di Belgiojoso (1909-2004), Enrico Peressutti (1908-1976) and Ernesto Nathan Rogers (1909-1969)). The 'Elettra' lounge chair won the Gold Medal prize for design, the 'compasso d'oro', at the 1954 Triennale exhibition in Milan and was a big hit featuring on the cover pages of both the esteemed Italian design journals of the period 'Domus' and 'RIVISTA DELL' ARREDAMENTO' BBPR's best known architectural project is the iconic 109 meter tall 'Torre Velasca' in the center of Milan. Please see image 20. The upholstery on these chairs has been fully restored including new Latex foam and new original specification 'Pirelli; rubber seat support webbing throughout. The chairs have been finished in a beautiful high quality Mohair Wool Velvet fabric 'Musco' by De Ploeg, There are zippers to both the underside of the headrest and rear of the seat cushion, we also managed to retain the original early Arflex embroidered fabric labels from the original worn upholstery and have resewn them onto the underside of the seats The chairs also still retain their original period rounded top plastic protective finials to the top of the tubular steel headrest supports which you can also clearly see to the rear of the 'elettra' chairs published on the cover page of the October 1958 issue of 'Rivista Dell Arredamento' (please see image 2) We have left the original enamel finish on the steel frames , the frames are in nice original vintage condition, being 60 years old the enamel finish is clearly not going to be perfect and they have some minor user marks and the odd light scratch commensurate with originality and age. We feel it is wise to leave some visible areas of the original finish to maintain the vintage authenticity and appeal of the chairs. We have kept a photographic record of the restoration process and can provide condition reports to seriously interested clients. LITERATURE documenting the 'Elettra' chair :- 'Domus' Cover Page , November 1956, 'RIVISTA DELL' ARREDAMENTO' Cover page, October 1958 (please see Image 2) and pages 3 and 8 (please see IMAGE 19) 'RIVISTA DELL' ARREDAMENTO' , July 1957, page 42 'Arflex 50-80' fig 6 ,pg 16, Daniele Baroni, A.Lucini & C, Milano, 1981. 'REPERTORTIO 50-80', Gramigna, page 77 (please see IMAGE 18) NOTABLE BUILDINGS & PROJECTS BY BBPR :- 1933: Pavia master plan 1934: Entry in Palazzo Littorio competition (with Luigi Figini, Gino Pollini and Arturo Danusso), selected for second round 1937: Italian Shipping Pavilion at Paris International Exposition 1937: Heliotherapy Colony, Legnano 1937: Entry in second round of Palazzo Littorio competition (with Luigi Figini, Gino Pollini and Arturo Danusso) 1937: Entry in Italian Civilisation Building competition, E42, second prize 1938: E42 Post Office 1946: Monument to victims in German concentration camps, Milan 1951: American Pavilion, Milan Triennale 1958: Torre Velasca, Milan.

Creator:

Studio BBPR (Designer),Arflex (Manufacturer)

Dimensions:

Height: 27.96 in (71 cm)Width: 24.41 in (62 cm)Depth: 28.35 in (72 cm)Seat Height: 17.33 in (44 cm)

Sold As:

Set of 2

Style:

Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)

Materials and Techniques:

Fabric,Foam,Latex,Mohair,Plastic,Rubber,Steel,Cast,Enameled

Place of Origin:

Italy

Period:

1950-1959

Date of Manufacture:

circa 1957

Condition:

Reupholstered. Wear consistent with age and use. The chairs' upholstery has been completely restored including new foam and original specification Pirelli rubber seat support webbing throughout. The steel frames are in their original black enamel finish with minor user marks commensurate with age,.

Seller Location:

bergen op zoom, NL

Reference Number:

1stDibs: LU930119980862

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Shop All Arflex

Arflex

From its unorthodox beginnings, Italian manufacturer Arflex grew into one of the leaders of 20th-century furniture design. Its furniture came to be known for its integration of new materials and bold appeal, and today a variety of vintage Arflex chairs, sofas and tables are emblems of mid-century modernism.

Arflex was established in Milan in 1947 by Pirelli employees Carlo Barassi, Pio Reggiani, Renato Teani and Aldo Bai. Barassi, a Milan Polytechnic graduate and visionary engineer at the Italian tire manufacturer, explored innovative technology and new uses for synthetic materials in domestic products (for Kartell, he codeveloped a ski rack for automobiles). The four founders partnered with a young architect named Marco Zanuso, who also desired to create furniture that featured an application of novel materials such as elastic tape and polyurethane foam.

One of Arflex’s inaugural pieces was Zanuso’s Lady armchair, a seat made of polyurethane foam that was manufactured in pieces and assembled at the very end of the production process. It won a gold medal at the 1951 Milan Triennale. A couple of years later, Arflex collaborated with Studio BBPR to create the office-chic Elettra and Neptunia chairs. The flourishing furniture company quickly established a reputation for compelling products and attracting and working with up-and-coming designers such as Roberto Menghi, who created Hall, a luxurious line of seating that would earn the Compasso d’Oro – Honorable Mention in 1959.

In the 1960s, Arflex continued to welcome the use of new and cutting-edge materials. Popular designs from this decade include Carlo Bartoli's fiberglass and polyester resin Gaia lounge chair and Cini Boer’s Bobo Relax lounger, one of history’s first seating pieces made of polyurethane foam (it has no internal frame). Boer, a pioneer of furniture design in Italy, also created the Strips sofa for the brand in 1972. Part of a plush modular seating system, the Strips sofa became an Arflex icon and was awarded the Compasso d'Oro in 1979.

Arflex continues to work with innovative designers to this day. Among their more recent collaborations is with Swedish design studio Claesson Koivisto Rune. The company's legendary creations are also on display at museums worldwide. The Lady chair, for example, is in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.

On 1stDibs, you can find a collection of vintage Arflex lounge chairs, armchairs, coffee tables and other furniture.