Name: Carlo di Carli: Desk in Fruitwood, Brass, and Glass, Italy 1950s
Brand: Carlo De Carli
Rating: 5 (5 reviews)

Carlo di Carli: Desk in Fruitwood, Brass, and Glass, Italy 1950s

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About the Item

Carlo de Carli (1910 - 1999) An important sculptural desk with six drawers by seminal Milanese architect and theorist Carlo de Carli, in fruitwood with polished brass handles and sabots. The floating top, fit with a rectangular glass insert that reveals the fruitwood plateau below, has rounded edges and sits in a trapezoidal frame (echoed in the drawers' handles). It hovers over an architectonic body whose every angle, surface, and void is carefully calibrated. The prismatic legs are beautifully modeled, an arresting interplay of asymmetrical volumes that swell and taper, culminating in jauntily angled feet. The desk's dimensionality and playful asymmetry are characteristic of de Carli's most inventive designs; they seamlessly translate an interest in movement into geometric form. Its anthropomorphic curves, emblematic of the organic vision that suffuses his work, speak to his prescient insistence on centering the body. As dean of Milan's Faculty of Architecture in the 1960's, and a highly influential academic throughout his career, de Carli used his exuberant yet practical designs as proving grounds for a philosophy focused on human form and motion. He held that "a chair, an armchair or a table must be elements in which one can feel an individual presence," and set out to design furniture that responded not to built structures, but to human lives — or, as he wrote, "the thinking and the actions of the people who live in that environment." De Carli was an advocate of space that "flowed," and many of his designs incorporate details that suggest movement — from the sloping line of a chair to the curved edge of a desk. For de Carli, this sense of movement —of speed— was the "new rhythm of architecture," and what he called "the wonderful poetics of life in movement" was something he believed in passionately. In this piece, we see him in full command of a dynamic vocabulary that's as visually arresting as it is practical: The desk's glass work surface, for instance, floats half a foot above its beautiful veneer, protecting it without obscuring it, and forms a hollow for two drop-down shelves where the user can store or display objects and books. A onetime disciple of Gio Ponti and a lifelong public intellectual, de Carli constantly sought out new forms and had a profound impact on Italian 20th century design, shifting our understanding of poetry and practicality in the lived environment. At the same time, he promoted traditional artisans and longstanding Italian centers of furniture production — as evidenced by the careful craftsmanship of pieces like this one. Italy, 1950s.

Creator:
Carlo De Carli (Designer)
Dimensions:
Height: 32 in (81.28 cm)Width: 69 in (175.26 cm)Depth: 47 in (119.38 cm)
Style:
Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
Materials and Techniques:
Brass,Fruitwood,Glass
Place of Origin:
Italy
Period:
1950-1959
Date of Manufacture:
1950s
Condition:
Refinished. Wear consistent with age and use. Very good restored condition.
Seller Location:
New York, NY
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU3576332091732

Shop All Carlo De Carli

Carlo De Carli

A modern Renaissance man, Italian designer Carlo de Carli wove his personal philosophy into his furniture creations. He believed that furniture should suit human movement and the surrounding environment, and each piece was made not only with an eye to form but also for everyday practicality. In today’s interiors, vintage de Carli furniture captures the extraordinary essence of Italian mid-century modernism.

Carlo de Carli was born in Milan in 1910. He studied at the Polytechnic University of Milan and developed an interest in design, architecture, writing and philosophy. After graduating in 1934, he worked under revered Italian architect and designer Gio Ponti. Shortly afterward, de Carli opened a studio with furniture maker Renato Angeli. In 1940, he began a relationship with the Milan Triennial design and art museum, where he eventually joined the board of directors.

Most of de Carli's furniture and architectural works came to fruition between the 1940s and 1970s. His architectural projects included the Church of Saint Ildefonso and the Via dei Giardini 7 building in Milan. However, de Carli is best known for his chair and table designs.

What sets de Carli’s chairs and other seating apart from those of other designers is that they are made to be lived in. As a result, his comfortable, functional and inviting designs earned the attention of leading Italian furniture companies like Cassina, Singer & Sons, Tecno and GUBI, and he played a significant role in 20th-century Italian furniture design.

In 1954, de Carli was awarded the Compasso d’Oro for his Cassina Model 683 chair. In 1957, he also won a Grand Prix at the Milan Triennial exhibition for a chair he designed for Tecno. Still committed to his academic pursuits, de Carli served as dean of the architecture faculty at the Polytechnic University of Milan from 1963 to 1968. He continued teaching until 1986 and continued writing until his death in 1999. His most important writings were published in a book titled Architettura, Spazio Primario.

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