"Lb7" Bookcase by Franco Albini for Poggi Marked
About the Item
- Creator:Franco Albini (Designer),Poggi (Maker)
- Design:
- Dimensions:Height: 122.05 in (310 cm)Width: 102.76 in (261 cm)Depth: 13.78 in (35 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1959-1960
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Rovereta, SM
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU3757339146102
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.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Rovereta, San Marino
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 14 days of delivery.
- Rare of Sideboard "Mb15" by Franco Albini for PoggiBy Poggi, Franco Albini and Franca HelgLocated in Rovereta, SMRare of walnut sideboard model "Mb15" by Franco Albini for Poggi. Perfect condition.Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Bookcases
MaterialsWalnut
- Stadera Writing Desk Model 840 Franco Albini for PoggiBy Poggi, Franco AlbiniLocated in Rovereta, SMRare and important writing desk model Stadera designed by Franco Albini for the Poggi manufacture in 1959. Model 840. Made of noble wood for its shelf, in perfect preserved conditi...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
MaterialsIron
- Franco Albini PL19 Pair of Three Piece Armchairs for Poggi Pavia Italy Circa 1959By Franco AlbiniLocated in Rovereta, SMThe "Modello PL19" or "I tre Pezzi" armchairs, designed by Franco Albini and Franca Helg, manufactured by Poggi Pavia, Italy. The chairs have a lacquered metal frame and are upholste...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsIron
- Albero bookcase by Gianfranco Frattini for Poltrona Frau 1955By Poltrona Frau, Gianfranco FrattiniLocated in Rovereta, SMThe 12-shelf Albero bookcase designed by Gianfranco Frattini for Poltrona Frau It has four vertical posts and two rack posts at either end, all made of solid ash. Shelves, , can b...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Bookcases
MaterialsWood
- Rare Pair "Fiorenza" First Edition Armchairs by Franco Albini, Italy, c. 1953By Arflex, Franco AlbiniLocated in Rovereta, SMRare and Exquisite "Fiorenza" Armchair by Franco Albini, Italy, c. 1953. This highly collectible model was manufactured by Arflex for one single year. An early variant of the iconi...Category
Antique Mid-19th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsFabric, Wood
- "Loico" Bookcase by Angelo Mangiarotti in Carrara e Marquina Marble Skipper 1970By Skipper, Angelo MangiarottiLocated in Rovereta, SMRare bookcase by Angelo Mangiarotti in white Carrara e Marquita marble. The bookcase is part of the "Loico collection" for the Skipper factory Italy 1970s . The entire bookcase is...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Bookcases
MaterialsMarble
- Franco Albini Walnut Bookcase LB7 for Poggi Pavia, 1956By Franco Albini, PoggiLocated in Madrid, ESA two modular teak bookcase, Designed by Franco Albini and edited in 1956 by Poggi, Pavia, Marked. Composed of two modules with storages units an...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Bookcases
MaterialsMetal
- Mid-Century Modern LB7 Bookcase by Franco Albini for Poggi . 1950sBy Franco Albini, PoggiLocated in Madrid, ESA three modular bookcase designed by Fanco Albini and edited by Poggi in the 50s.It is composed of three modules and 15 shelves.The central module measures 90 cm length and the two l...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Bookcases
MaterialsMetal
- Franco Albini Italian Midcentury Dark Wood Bookcase Lb7 for Poggi, 1950sBy Franco Albini, PoggiLocated in Reggio Emilia, ITItalian dark wood shelves bookcase with floor and ceiling uprights, designed by Franco Albini in 1956 for Poggi Pavia, shelves and container with wood veneer adjustable in height and...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Bookcases
MaterialsMetal
- Franco Albini LB7 Bookcase in Teak Wood by Poggi Pavia 1950s ItalyBy Franco Albini, PoggiLocated in Montecatini Terme, ITLB7 bookcase composed of a single module with shelves and a storage unit with two doors, made in veneered solid teak wood, and black lacquered metal details. Designed by Franco Alb...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Bookcases
MaterialsMetal
- 'LB7' two-bay bookcase with top Franco Albini for Poggi 1950sBy Franco AlbiniLocated in Milano, ITIconic two-bay ceiling bookcase with top model 'LB7', designed by Franco Albini and produced by Poggi from the late 1950s. The bookcase features two bays with solid teak wood upright...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Bookcases
MaterialsWood
- Libreria modello 'LB7' a tre campate Franco Albini per Poggi anni 50By Franco Albini, PoggiLocated in Milano, ITLibreria a tre campate modello 'LB7', disegnata da Franco Albini e prodotta da Poggi a partire dalla fine degli anni '50. Montanti in legno massello di teak fissati a pressione tra s...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Bookcases
MaterialsWood
