Documented Pair of Mohair Wingback Chairs by Arturo Pani, Mexico City, 1950s

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Documented Pair of Mohair Wingback Chairs by Arturo Pani, Mexico City, 1950s

About the Item

1950s Pair of Wingback Chairs by Mexican designer/decorator Arturo Pani. Extremely Rare! Documented in Verna Cook Shipway and Warren Shipway's book:"Mexican Interiors, 1962, p.146." It is stated that Arturo Pani gained inspiration for his design from an 18th century wing chair from England he had found in a town outside of Mexico City. The wings are to look as if they have been rolled back, resembling a scroll. Cabriole shaped legs and structure made of mahogany. Elegant, whimsical, and an unusual take on a very traditional design. Recovered in a very soft high quality teddybear mohair and cotton blend from the Netherlands. Cushions have been replaced with new down and feather wrapped foam. "Arturo Pani (1915-1981) was born in Mexico City to a well known diplomatic family. At the age of 4 in 1919 he traveled with his family to live in Europe as his father was appointed Mexico’s Counsel General to Belgium, later moving to Milan as his father’s position changed. In 1925 the family settled in Paris and remained there until 1935. Arturo was the younger brother of Mario Pani, well known Mexican Modernist Architect and editor of the magazine Architectura/Mexico for over 40 years. After completing studies in the private school Janson de Sailly both Mario and Arturo entered the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris. Mario was inclined toward architecture and Arturo chose decoration and interior design. Both brothers returned to Mexico City by 1935. Arturo’s first project was the furniture design and decoration of the family house on Lieja Street. Mario’s first major project was the construction of the Hotel Reforma in 1936 which became the emblem of Mexican Modernism. Arturo Pani was given free reign to design the furniture and interiors of the lobby and several salons of the Hotel Reforma. Diego Rivera created the murals for the one of the dining rooms. The social standing of the family allowed Arturo to begin his career with the decorating company De la Pena, Lascurain y Compania. The company took advantage of the Pani name and presented Arturo as the Senior Decorator. Arturo Pani went on to create a career that spanned over 40 years. He became “the” decorator to the elite of Mexico City.

Creator:
Arturo Pani (Designer)
Dimensions:
Height: 43 in (109.22 cm)Width: 26 in (66.04 cm)Depth: 23 in (58.42 cm)Seat Height: 18 in (45.72 cm)
Sold As:
Set of 2
Style:
Chippendale (In the Style Of)
Materials and Techniques:
Cotton,Down,Feathers,Foam,Mahogany,Mohair
Place of Origin:
Mexico
Period:
1950-1959
Date of Manufacture:
circa 1950s
Condition:
Wear consistent with age and use. Very good restored condition.
Seller Location:
San Diego, CA
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU97171066026

Shop All Arturo Pani

Arturo Pani

Arturo Pani has been called the Jean Royère of Mexico. Like the adored French master of the mid-20th century, Pani won an upper-class clientele who appreciated the vivacity and exuberance he brought to interiors. His specialty was using new materials to reinterpret traditional stylings — the sensuous curves and arabesques of the Rococo; stately neoclassical motifs — for a modern context. Pani's work is a thing apart: at once theatrical and distinguished, playful and grand.

Pani was born to splendid settings. His father was Mexico’s ambassador to France, and both Pani and his brother Mario, a noted architect of the International style, would study at the prestigious École des Beaux Arts in Paris. Pani made his name in the late 1930s by designing lavish interiors that belied the austere facade of his brother’s new Hotel Reforma in Mexico City. Mexico’s affluent class welcomed Pani’s technique for juxtaposing Mario’s sleek modernist architectural envelope with voluptuous decor. His style became known as the “Acapulco look” in the 1930s, when Pani became the blossoming Pacific resort’s decorator of choice to the jet set. Pani’s own Acapulco villa would become a favorite backdrop for the society photographer Slim Aarons.

Though Pani frequently created furniture along the strict, geometric lines associated with mid-century modernism — and did, on occasion, produce pieces with wildly flowing futuristic lines — his signature designs were those that offered an idiosyncratic, spare-yet-sumptuous take on historical forms.

Pani’s favorite material was wrought iron, usually gilded. With it, he produced tables with elaborate sheaf-of-wheat bases, or scrolling baroque supports; chairs with frames made of iron rods bent to suggest the sinuous seatbacks and cabriole legs of Louis XV pieces; or — jumping a stylistic generation forward — designs with Louis XVI elements such as arrows and chevrons. Pani’s work has again become chic. As you will see on these pages, like few others, Arturo Pani had a true sense of drama. Virtually everything he designed is a showstopper.

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