Model No. 54A Dining Set by Gae Aulenti for Knoll International
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Model No. 54A Dining Set by Gae Aulenti for Knoll International
About the Item
- Creator:Gae Aulenti (Designer),Knoll (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 32.5 in (82.55 cm)Width: 21.25 in (53.98 cm)Depth: 20 in (50.8 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 7
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:circa 1970
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Los Angeles, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU133024911823
Gae Aulenti
The Italian architect and designer Gae Aulenti will forever be best remembered for her work with museums, in particular her 1980–86 renovation of a Beaux Arts Paris train station to create the galleries of the Musée d’Orsay. Aulenti — whose first name, short for Gaetana, is pronounced “guy” — should also be recalled for her tough intellectual spirit and for working steadily when few women found successful architectural careers in postwar Italy.
After she graduated from the Milan Polytechic in 1954, Aulenti opened an architectural office. She also joined the staff of the progressive architectural magazine Casabella, whose editorial line was that the establishment, orthodox modernism of Le Corbusier and the Bauhaus, had outlived it usefulness. When their movement for fresh approaches to architecture and design received a sympathetic hearing, Aulenti found patrons — most prominently Gianni Agnelli, of Fiat, who later employed her to renovate the Palazzo Grassi in Venice for use as an arts exhibition space.
Commissions for showrooms and other corporate spaces brought Aulenti to furniture design. She felt that furniture should never dominate a room. Her chairs and sofas — low-slung, with rounded enameled metal frames and ample seats — and tables, particularly her 1972 marble Jumbo coffee table for Knoll, project solidity and sturdiness. In lighting design, however, Aulenti is bravura. Each work has a marvelous sculptural presence. Pieces such as her Pipistrello table lamp and Quadrifoglio pendant are a perfect marriage of organically shaped glass and high-tech fixtures. Others have a futuristic elegance — and some even have a touch of personality. Aulenti’s Pileino and La Ruspa table lamps each look almost like little robots. Her lighting pieces are an artful grace note in the career of a woman who believed in strength.
Knoll
As a company that produced many of the most famous and iconic furniture designs of the 20th century, Knoll was a chief influence in the rise of modern design in the United States. Led by Florence Knoll, the firm would draw stellar talents such as Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Eero Saarinen into its compass. Their work would help change the face of the American home and office.
The company was formed in 1938 by the German immigrant Hans Knoll. He first worked with his fellow ex-pat, the Danish designer Jens Risom, who created furniture with flowing lines made of wood. While Risom served in World War II, in 1943 Knoll met his future wife, Florence Schust. She had studied and worked with eminent emigré leaders of the Bauhaus, including Mies, Walter Gropius and Marcel Breuer. She won Knoll over with Bauhaus notions of industrial arts, and an aesthetic that featured flat and tubular metal frames and angular forms. When Hans died in a car crash in 1955, Florence Knoll was appointed head of the company. It was as much through her holistic approach to design — a core division of the firm was dedicated to planning office systems — as Knoll's mid-century modern furnishings themselves that she brought about the sleek and efficient transformation of the American workplace.
Today, classic Knoll furnishings remain staples of modern design collections and decor. A history of modern design is written in pieces such as the elegant Barcelona chair — created by Mies and Lilly Reich — Saarinen’s pedestal Tulip chair, Breuer’s tubular steel Wassily lounge chair and the grid-patterned Diamond chair by Harry Bertoia.
As you can see from the collection of these designs and other vintage Knoll dining chairs, sofas and tables on 1stDibs, this manufacturer's offerings have become timeless emblems of the progressive spirit and sleek sophistication of the best of modernism.
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$3,120 Sale Price20% Off - Barcelona Daybed by Mies Van Der Rohe for Knoll International, 1960s, SignedBy Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, KnollLocated in Los Angeles, CAThis iconic and authentic (both the leather cushion and the Mahogany frame is signed with Knoll International labels) daybed is the 'Barcelona Daybed' also referred to as the 'Barcelona Couch' by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe for Knoll International and is considered an 'early original production collectors example' as it is from Knoll's earlier years of producing this design in the 1960s and 1970s before they changed to different manufacturing processes during the 1980s. This example is signed with a Knoll International label that has the 320 Park Ave address and is dated on the back of the label July 9, 1975. To determine the estimated production year we note that the date most likely corresponds to the retailer or possibly the Knoll sold/ ship date. The address of 320 Park Ave changed to Fifth Ave in 1970 and Knoll Associates did not become Knoll International until 1968. Therefore we would pinpoint the production year to be between 1968 and 1970. It is possible that it was slightly after 1970 that this example was produced as it is believed that Knoll continued to use labels with the older 320 Park Ave for several months to a couple years after changing addresses, however generally speaking 1970s examples will be labelled with their Fifth Ave address. All construction details also indicate a 1st-Generation 'original' production by Knoll as their production did not change throughout the Knoll Associates years and through the first half of the Knoll International years. This rare original 1st-Generation 'Barcelona Daybed' features its original brown leather upholstery with subtle patina and wear throughout. These traces of age and use bring more vibrancy to the leather, giving this piece an on-trend lightly distressed look. The original bolster pillow in matching brown leather is secured to the cushion and platform via straps and lock snaps. The platform is crafted from stained Mahogany and supported by polished tubular stainless steel legs and the original leather straps are all in-tact. Both the cushion is labelled and the platform frame as well with a partial Knoll International sticker label as can be seen in the photo gallery. Considered to be the epitome of modern design, Mies van der Rohe and Lilly Reich originally designed the Barcelona chair in 1929 to serve as seating for the king and queen of Spain in the German Pavilion. This was Germany's entry for the International Exhibition, hosted by Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. Designed in 1930 the Barcelona daybed (also referred to as the Barcelona Couch) emanates this seminal design, paralleling the same simplicity and elegance of the iconic Barcelona chair. This Barcelona couch by Mies van der Rohe for Knoll International is ideal for a living room, family room, study, den or lounge. It would also be an Apt choice in a corporate, retail or hospitality location such as a boutique hotel lobby, cocktail bar, members club, workspace studio, executive office or in a retail boutique...Category
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