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Limited Edition Bocca Sofa by Studio 65 for Gufram, Signed Dated Numbered, 1986

$16,350List Price

About the Item

This incredible lips sofa is by Studio 65 for Gufram, part of their 'Multipli' limited edition collections, the Bocca (Lips) sofa was a run of 1,000 units - and this particular example is signed: Gufram Multipli, Dated: 1986 and numbered: 103 / 1000. The red color on this example is exquisite. Bright and sharp, does not appear to be faded. The fabric has a sheen which reflects light which looks incredible with all the curves of the lips, accentuating every line and shape, in most of the photos the reflection of the fabrics sheen makes the sofa look a little lighter in color in some areas, but this is merely a visual effect picked up by the camera. The photos of the sofa's back are the best representation of the color since it does not reflect the sheen of the fabric on the camera lens. In person the reflection is much less noticeable and only a light sheen can be seen, very beautiful. The original design was created in the early 1970s Italy by Studio 65 who used Salvador Dalí's Mae West lips sculpture as inspiration however it was noted that Studio 65 envisioned Marilyn Monroe's lips instead of Mae West when designing the Bocca sofa. Then in the mid-1980s Studio 65 and Gufram decided to release a limited edition of 1,000, each bearing a signed, dated and numbered tag like this example. There are newer examples and unsigned 1970s examples of this design but lack the collector qualities of this 1986 edition since they were not signed, dated and numbered limited editions. For art and design collectors and interior designers alike, this sofa is an incredible opportunity to acquire this signed, dated and limited edition numbered work of art for your personal or client's collection. The width and depth of this tête-à-tête sofa makes it perfect as a large comfortable loveseat or settee for two, ideal of entertaining, romancing or watching a movie, and is large enough to accommodate a cozy sofa or couch for three people. Fabricated from stretch jersey fabric over polyurethane foam, the cover has a zipper on the underside so it can be removed and cleaned. This surreal sofa is sensual, bold, iconic and wild. The perfect Postmodern piece of functional art that allows you to expand your art collection from the wall to the main-room floor and serve as eye-catching pop of color and personality while serving as an excellent conversation starter. The signed, dated and numbered Gufram tag is visible from the rear so this sofa would be ideal to display in the middle of the room where the back of the sofa can be seen. Be the envy of your friends and fellow art collectors with this rare and exquisite piece of functional art. Studio 65 (Studiosessanta5) is an Italian architecture studio founded in 1965 in Turin as an avant-garde experimental collective of architects, designers, poets and artists. Its founders were Franco Audrito, Roberta Garosci, Enzo Bertone, Paolo Morello, and Paolo Rondelli. Studio 65 played an important role in the Radical movement in Italian design in 1960-70s. Some of the most famous products designed by them is the Bocca sofa and Capitello chair. Other notable projects include the Leonardo sofa, which became one of the icons of the Radical Design movement, interior design of the Casa Canella apartment, the Palladian Villa, as well as the Barbarella night club. Other members of the Radical design movement from Turin were LIBIDARCH, Ceretti-Derossi-Rosso, Guido Drocco, Franco Mello, and Piero Gilardi. The Bocca sofa was originally designed in 1970 as part of the project for a new fitness center in Milan, that Studio 65 was commissioned to complete. The sofa was a tribute to Salvador Dali's surrealistic portrait of Mae West. It was produced by Gufram, an Italian furniture manufacturer. The original name was Marilyn, and it was dedicated to Marilyn Monroe as well as the owner of the gym, Marilyn Garosci. According to one of its designers, Franco Audrito, the sofa "spoke out about our obsession with appearance." The Bocca loveseat is part of the permanent collection of New York’s MoMA, Paris’ Louvre, Milan’s Permanent Design Collection and Denver’s Museum of Modern Art. *Also included in this sale is a John Dickinson style 3 legged carved teak stool. Condition: Excellent condition with very minor wear. The cover is removable via a zipper located underneath the sofa and can be washed and cleaned. There is minor wear such as minor flea bite sized pulls to the fabric and a few light marks to the fabric. No heavy stains, no rips or tears, no areas of major fading, no noticeable issues. Excellent example of a 1986 work of functional art, this is an ideal example for a collector or art gallery, ready for immediate use. Measurements: H 33.5" x W 85" x D 31.5" Seat height 17".

Creator:
Studio 65 (Designer),Gufram Furniture (Maker)
Design:
Bocca Sofa
Dimensions:
Height: 33.5 in (85.09 cm)Width: 85 in (215.9 cm)Depth: 31.5 in (80.01 cm)Seat Height: 17 in (43.18 cm)
Style:
Post-Modern (Of the Period)
Materials and Techniques:
Fabric,Foam
Place of Origin:
Italy
Period:
1980-1989
Date of Manufacture:
1986
Condition:
Excellent condition with minor wear. See description for greater condition details. This is an ideal example for a collector or art gallery, ready for immediate use.
Seller Location:
Los Angeles, CA
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU1330217106372

Shop All Studio 65

Studio 65

Every so often a company produces a design so iconic that it comes to symbolize its entire history. For Studio 65, the Italian avant-garde design collective cofounded by Franco Audrito, Piero Gatti and others, this was the Bocca sofa — alternatively known as the “lips sofa,” “red lip sofa,” “Dalí sofa” or Marilyn sofa.”

Studio 65’s lip-shaped seat — modeled after a singular feature from Surrealist artist Salvador Dalí’s portrait of Mae West — became a design icon shortly after its release in 1970 and remains a beloved collector’s item today. The Bocca symbolizes Studio 65’s playful, subversive approach to design. The collective took shape in Turin in 1965 with the goal of avant-garde experimentation. The group would eventually grow to comprise artists, designers and poets, including Roberta Garosci, Enzo Bertone, Paolo Morello and Paolo Rondelli. It would also play a central role in the Italian Radical design movement, the practitioners of which found inspiration in Pop art, minimalism and Arte Povera.

The Bocca sofa was born of one of Audrito’s earliest commissions — to design a gym in Milan — which he accepted just a year after graduating from architecture school. The collective enlisted Italian manufacturer Gufram, a firm at the forefront of Italian Radical design, to create a bold red sofa in the shape of plump lips; it was dubbed Marilyn after Ms. Monroe and was an instant sensation when installed at the fitness center.

Studio 65 would follow this with the also iconic Capitello side chair (another Gufram collaboration, now in the permanent collection at The Met), whose reimagining of a decapitated marble classical architectural column in squishy foam was an on-the-nose expression of the group’s pushback to traditional design. It’s a nod they iterated with the Attica coffee table, whose form appears sliced from an oversize column.

Though Studio 65 still operates as an architecture studio under the leadership of Audrito today, the original collective broke up in the late 1970s, making its output from the past decade sought-after fodder for collectors of postmodern, Radical and Italian design.

Find Studio 65 chairs, sofas and other furniture on 1stDibs.

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