Franco Albini Minimalist Desk for Knoll International, 1950s
View Similar Items
Franco Albini Minimalist Desk for Knoll International, 1950s
About the Item
- Creator:Franco Albini (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 27.56 in (70 cm)Width: 48.04 in (122 cm)Depth: 25.99 in (66 cm)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1950s
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Brussels, BE
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU2265323794462
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.
- Mid-Century Stadera Desk Model 840 by Franco Albini for Poggi, Italy, 1950sBy Franco AlbiniLocated in Brussels, BEMid-Century Modern Stadera Desk Model 840 by Franco Albini for Poggi, Italy, 1950sCategory
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
MaterialsWood
- Mid-Century Modern TL2 Cavalletto Desk/Dining Table by Franco Albini for PoggiBy Franco AlbiniLocated in Brussels, BEMid-Century Modern TL2 Cavalletto desk/dining table by Franco Albini for Poggi, 1950s.Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
MaterialsWood
- Mid-Century Modern TL2 Cavalletto desk/dining table by Franco Albini for PoggiBy Franco AlbiniLocated in Brussels, BEMid-Century Modern TL2 Cavalletto desk/dining table by Franco Albini for Poggi, 1950sCategory
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
MaterialsWood
- Mid-Century Modern Desk by Florence Knoll for Knoll international, 1970sBy Florence KnollLocated in Brussels, BEMid-Century Modern Desk by Florence Knoll for Knoll international Biography : Born to a baker, and orphaned at age twelve, Florence Schust grew up Saginaw, Michigan. Schust demons...Category
Vintage 1970s Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
MaterialsMarble
- Mid-Century Modern "Lb7" Bookcase by Franco Albini for Poggi, Italy, 1950sBy Franco AlbiniLocated in Brussels, BEMid-Century Modern "Lb7" Bookcase by Franco Albini for Poggi, Italy, 1950s Height is adjustableCategory
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Shelves
MaterialsWood
- Mid-Century Modern Desk by Ico Parisi for Mim Roma, Italy, 1950sBy Ico ParisiLocated in Brussels, BEMid-Century Modern Desk by Ico Parisi for Mim Roma, Italy, 1950sCategory
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
MaterialsWood
- Desk "1928" by Franco Albini for Knoll International, Italy, 1950sBy Franco AlbiniLocated in Greding, DEDesk "1928" designed by Franco Albini for Knoll International, Italy, 1950s. This glass and metal desk features a veneered white drawer element an...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
MaterialsMetal
- Franco Albini Desk for Knoll International, USA 1960By Franco AlbiniLocated in Amsterdam, NLA wonderful desk designed by Franco Albini and manufactured by Knoll International in the USA around 1960. The unique frame of the table has chrome plated crossed legs on each side ...Category
Vintage 1960s American Desks and Writing Tables
MaterialsMetal
- Franco Albini Desk for Knoll International, USA 1960By Franco Albini, KnollLocated in Amsterdam, NLA wonderful desk designed by Franco Albini and manufactured by Knoll International in the USA around 1960. The unique frame of the table has chrome plated crossed legs on each side ...Category
Vintage 1960s European Desks and Writing Tables
MaterialsMetal
- Franco Albini Italian Midcentury Desk for Knoll 70'sBy Franco AlbiniLocated in bari, ITStickers.Stunning Franco Albini '1928' desk for Knoll international, this example 1958. A pebbled glass top and stunning patina really take this piece...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
MaterialsSteel
- Early Franco Albini for Knoll Model '80' DeskBy Knoll, Franco AlbiniLocated in Waalwijk, NLFranco Albini for Knoll, model 80, glass, lacquered wood, lacquered steel, Italy, 1949 Franco Albini’s model 80 desk combines glass, steel and wood which resu...Category
1990s Italian Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
MaterialsChrome
- Franco Albini for Knoll Desk Model '1928' in Glass and MetalBy Knoll, Franco AlbiniLocated in Waalwijk, NLFranco Albini for Knoll, desk model '1928', glass, wood, chromed steel, Italy, design 1949 Franco Albini’s '1928' desk combines glass, steel...Category
Vintage 1940s Italian Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
MaterialsSteel
