Joe Colombo 'Robo' for Elco, circa 1970
View Similar Items
Joe Colombo 'Robo' for Elco, circa 1970
About the Item
- Creator:Joe Colombo (Designer),Elco (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 17.33 in (44 cm)Diameter: 15.75 in (40 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (In the Style Of)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:circa 1970
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Amsterdam, NL
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU103982047692
Joe Colombo
He died tragically young, and his career as a designer lasted little more than 10 years. But through the 1960s, Joe Colombo proved himself one of the field’s most provocative and original thinkers, and he produced a remarkably large array of innovative chairs, table lamps and other lighting and furniture as well as product designs. Even today, the creations of Joe Colombo have the power to surprise.
Cesare “Joe” Colombo was born in Milan, the son of an electrical-components manufacturer. He was a creative child — he loved to build huge structures from Meccano pieces — and in college he studied painting and sculpture before switching to architecture.
In the early 1950s, Colombo made and exhibited paintings and sculptures as part of an art movement that responded to the new Nuclear Age, and futuristic thinking would inform his entire career. He took up design not long after his father fell ill in 1958, and he and his brother, Gianni, were called upon to run the family company.
Colombo expanded the business to include the making of plastics — a primary material in almost all his later designs. One of his first, made in collaboration with his brother, was the Acrilica table lamp (1962), composed of a wave-shaped piece of clear acrylic resin that diffused light cast by a bulb concealed in the lamp’s metal base. A year later, Colombo produced his best-known furniture design, the Elda armchair (1963): a modernist wingback chair with a womb-like plastic frame upholstered in thick leather pads.
Portability and adaptability were keynotes of many Colombo designs, made for a more mobile society in which people would take their living environments with them. One of his most striking pieces is the Tube chair (1969). It comprises four foam-padded plastic cylinders that fit inside one another. The components, which are held together by metal clips, can be configured in a variety of seating shapes (his Additional Living System seating is similarly versatile).
Vintage Tube chairs generally sell for about $9,000 in good condition; Elda chairs for about $7,000. A small Colombo design such as the plastic Boby trolley — an office organizer on wheels, designed in 1970 — is priced in the range of $700.
As Colombo intended, his designs are best suited to a modern decor. If your tastes run to sleek, glossy Space Age looks, the work of Joe Colombo offers you a myriad of choices.
Find vintage Joe Colombo lamps, seating and other furniture for sale on 1stDibs.
- "Isocele" Side/Coffee Table by Max Sauze, France circa 1970By Max SauzeLocated in Amsterdam, NLStunning side/coffee table designed by Max Sauze for his "Isocele" collection in France around 1970. This rare piece is made of beautiful quality chrome metal with a smoke glass t...Category
Vintage 1970s French Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsChrome, Metal
- Round Coffee Table by William Watting for Fristo, circa 1955By Fristho, William WattingLocated in Amsterdam, NLUnique round coffee table manufactured Fristho, Netherlands, circa 1955. The coffee table has a glass top and a high quality wooden base with beautiful brass details. The design r...Category
Vintage 1950s Dutch Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsBrass
- Cor Alons Coffee Table for De Boer Gouda, circa 1950By Cor Alons, W. Lutjes den Boer GoudaLocated in Amsterdam, NLA beautiful rare coffee table designed by Cor Alons, manufactured by De Boer Gouda in the Netherlands, 1950. It is completely made of high quality teak plywood in beautiful round an...Category
Mid-20th Century Dutch Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsTeak
- Cini Boeri “Lunario” Coffee Table for Gavina, Italy 1970Located in Amsterdam, NLA beautiful coffee table, model “Lunario”, designed by Cini Boeri and manufactured by Gavina in Italy around 1970. This outstanding piece has a stainless steel base with large, clea...Category
Vintage 1970s American Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsTravertine
- “Globe” Coffee Table by Giorgio Cattelan for Cattelan, Italy, 1970By Giorgio Cattelan, Cattelan ItaliaLocated in Amsterdam, NLAn eye-catching coffee table, model “Globe”, designed by Giorgio Cattelan and manufactured by Cattelan in Italy around 1970. Made of high quality glass, bent into shape and balanc...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsMetal
- Square Coffee Table by Paco Rabanne for Lova Creation, Belgium 1970By Paco RabanneLocated in Amsterdam, NLA fantastic, very rare coffee table designed by Paco Rabanne, manufactured by Lova Creation in Belgium around 1970. This luxurious piece is made of high quality etched brass. The go...Category
Vintage 1970s Belgian Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsAgate, Brass
- Joe Colombo Organizer Cabinet 'Boby Trolley', circa 1970By Joe ColomboLocated in Barcelona, BarcelonaOrganizer cabinet designed by Joe Colombo, circa 1960. Manufactured by Bieffeplast Padova, from Italy. In original condition, with some visible ...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Cabinets
MaterialsPlastic
- Joe Colombo for Bieffeplast Boby TrolleyBy Joe Colombo, BieffeplastLocated in Byron Bay, NSWItalian modern red plastic storage trolley Boby, on wheels, by Joe Colombo for Bieffeplast in 1968. Iconic and very useful in all environments, Boby model storage trolley with stru...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Cabinets
MaterialsPlastic
- 1970s Black Boby Trolley by Joe Colombo for BieffeplastBy Joe ColomboLocated in San Gabriel, CA1970s black plastic Boby Trolly cart by Joe Colombo for Bieffeplast with 6 storage drawers. Made in Italy. Some small scuffs and dulling of the plastic. Si...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Space Age Commodes and Chests of Drawers
MaterialsPlastic
- Boby Trolley by Joe Colombo for Biefflast, Italy, 1970s.By Joe Colombo, BieffeplastLocated in BARCELONA, ESPurchasing the Boby trolley by Joe Colombo for Bieffeplast, Italy, from the 1970s is an opportunity to own a piece of iconic design history that seamlessly combines functionality and...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Space Age Cabinets
MaterialsPlastic
- Brown 'Boby' trolley by Joe Colombo for Bieffeplast, Italy 1970'sBy Joe Colombo, BieffeplastLocated in Steenwijk, NLThis “Boby” trolley or portable storage system was designed by Joe Colombo in 1969. A very handy trolley made of ABS plastic. It has many storage options such as the fold-out shelves...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
MaterialsPlastic
- Joe Colombo 'Boby' Trolley 1970 with 2 Drawers in White for B-LineBy Joe ColomboLocated in Tilburg, NLJoe Colombo 'Boby' Trolley for B-Line. Designed in 1970, current production. Part of the permanent collection of MoMA in New York and the “Triennale” in Milan, Smau Prize in 1971. ...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Mid-Century Modern Cabinets
MaterialsPlastic