Unique Marco Zanuso 'Senior' Armchairs by Arman, 2003

Italian designer Marco Zanuso helped cement his country’s place as a world leader in furniture design that used new materials in revolutionary ways.

Zanuso was part of a generation of furniture designers who encouraged a sharp departure from the traditionalism and classicalism that reigned over the design industry before the war. These designers, who are associated with what we now call mid-century modernism, experimented with new technologies and materials to deliver on the world’s newfound need for streamlined products that represented the future.

After graduating from the Polytechnic University of Milan in 1939 with a degree in architecture, Zanuso served in the Navy during World War II. Soon after the war, he opened his own design firm in Milan in 1945. He later became an editor at well-regarded design magazines Domus and Casabella.

Zanuso used this editorial platform to both promote new Italian designs as well as his own pieces, some of which he made using unconventional materials like foam and latex. For instance, his famous Lady armchair from 1951 is a composition of foam rubber and Nastro Cord, a recently invented textile band of rubberized fabric that eliminated the need for metal springs. It was one of several pieces he designed for Italian manufacturer Arflex, along with the 1949 Antropus chair and the 1951 Sleep-o-matic sofa.

Zanuso often collaborated with other like-minded creatives. From 1955 until 1957, he was Olivetti’s architect, designing factories across Brazil, and for nearly two decades, he collaborated with German designer Richard Sapper. The pair’s most famous product is the 4999 children’s chair, manufactured in the 1960s by Kartell in Italy. The stackable chair was the first to be manufactured entirely of injection-molded plastic.

Zanuso and Sapper also partnered on the 1962 Brionvega Doney 14, the first European-made portable transistor TV; its sleek, compact and curvy form deeply influenced the design of television sets that followed, which were far more sculptural in form than the rigid boxes that characterized early models.

From the 1970s onward, Zanuso taught architecture and industrial design at the Polytechnic University of Milan. He still exercised his creative talents, planning the headquarters for computer companies and renovating Italian theaters.

Each of Zanuso’s elegant works were demonstrative of a forward-looking sensibility. His projects saw an integration of novel industrial materials that not only helped emphasize the beauty of good design but also played a role in rendering these well-made products accessible to everyday consumers.

On 1stDibs, find a collection of vintage Marco Zanuso furniture, including armchairs, sofas, table lamps and other items.

Arman was born in Nice, France, in 1928, and showed a talent for painting and drawing as a child. He studied at the the Ecole Nationale des Art Décoratifs in Nice followed by studies at the École du Louvre in Paris. In his early years he focused on abstract paintings. Then, in 1957, he became interested in common objects as works of art. He first did what came to be called his "allures d"objet" (object impressions), where he would dip an object into paint and press it on canvas thus leaving the object's shadow or impression. Then he decided the object itself was worth paying attention to and started to treat them in his own way. His intention was to remove the material purpose of an object so that its only remaining function was to "feed the mind" as a work of art. What better way to achieve that result than by breaking, slicing or even burning objects such as violins, telephones, typewriters or even whole cars? He also made objects useless by accumulating them, such as 2,000 wristwatches in a Plexiglass box that all kept different time. Once emotionally detached from the circumstances associated with a broken object, the viewer could grow to appreciate its abstract beauty; so, in a sense, Arman was literally teaching that things one never thought could be regarded as attractive could indeed turn out to be so. Through this achievement, Arman gained worldwide recognition and is regarded as one of the most prolific and inventive creators of the late 20th century. His work can be found in the collections of numerous museums including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Tate Gallery in London and the Centre Pompidou in Paris. Arman’s work has also been exhibited in galleries, museums and public spaces worldwide including the Musée D’Art Contemporain in Tehran, Iran; the Museum of Art in Tel Aviv, Israel; the Musée Des Arts Decoratifs and Opéra De Paris in France; the La Jolla Museum of Contemporary Art in California; and the Museum of Arts and Design and the Guggenheim in New York He died in 2005 in New York.