Alessandro Mendini Italian Midcentury Table by Memphis from the 1980s
View Similar Items
Alessandro Mendini Italian Midcentury Table by Memphis from the 1980s
About the Item
- Creator:Memphis Milano (Workshop/Studio),Alessandro Mendini (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 29.73 in (75.5 cm)Width: 72.45 in (184 cm)Depth: 37.01 in (94 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:Smoked Glass,Wood
- Place of Origin:Italy
- Period:1980-1989
- Date of Manufacture:circa 1984
- Condition:
- Seller Location:bari, IT
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU4076317431722
Alessandro Mendini
Alessandro Mendini was born in Milan in 1931. Through his work as an architect, designer, journalist, theorist and publisher, Mendini helped establish the Italian design sensibility on a global scale with a particular focus on neo-modern, avant-garde design as well as the crossover between art, design and architecture.
Mendini’s influential work spanned the arenas of graphics, furniture, interiors, architecture, stage design, writing and painting. He graduated from the Polytechnic University of Milan in 1959, and he began his career at the studio of artist-designer Marcello Nizzoli. He went on to become the publisher of the popular magazines Casabella (1970–76), Modo and Domus (each 1979–85).
In 1979, Mendini joined Ettore Sottsass and Michele de Lucchi as a partner at Studio Alchimia, a harbinger of the Memphis Group before he cofounded Domus Academy in 1982. In 1989, he and his brother Francesco established their architectural practice, Atelier Mendini, in Milan, where he worked until his death in February 2019. In recognition of his outstanding body of work, Mendini was awarded the Compasso d’Oro twice, in 1979 and 1981. He was also honored by the Architectural League of New York, made Chevalier des Arts et Lettres in France, and, in 2014, he was awarded the European Prize for Architecture.
Mendini’s work is included in the permanent collections of the Metropolitan Museum and the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Centre Pompidou in Paris, among others.
Find vintage Alessandro Mendini chairs, vases, table lamps and other furniture and decorative objects on 1stDibs.
(Biography provided by STUDIO CADMIUM)
Memphis Milano
To many people, postmodern design is synonymous with the Memphis Group. This Italian collaborative created the most radical and attention-getting designs of the period, upending most of the accepted standards of how furniture should look. Today, the Memphis Milano brand, which is managed by Alberto Bianchi Albrici, still produces designs created by the group between 1981 and 1988.
The Memphis story begins in 1980, when Ettore Sottsass, then a beacon of Italian postmodernism, tapped a coterie of younger designers to develop a collection for the Milan Furniture Fair the next year, determined that all the new furniture they were then seeing was boring. Their mission: Boldly reject the stark minimalism of the 1970s and shatter the rules of form and function. (Sottsass’s Ultrafragola mirror, designed in 1970, embodied many of what would become the collective’s postmodern ideals.)
The group decided to design, produce and market their own collection, one that wouldn’t be restricted by concerns like functionality and so-called good taste. Its debut, at Milan’s 1981 Salone del Mobile, drew thousands of viewers and caused a major stir in design circles.
So as a record of Bob Dylan’s “Stuck Inside of Mobile” played on repeat, they took their name from the song, devised their marketing strategy and plotted the postmodern look that would come to define the decade of excess — primary colors, blown-up proportions, playful nods to Art Deco and Pop art. A high-low mix of materials also helped define Memphis, as evidenced by Javier Mariscal’s pastel serving trays, which feature laminate veneer — a material previously used only in kitchens — as well as Shiro Kuramata’s Nara and Kyoto tables made from colored glass-infused terrazzo.
An image of Sottsass posing with his collaborators in a conversation pit shaped like a boxing ring appeared in magazines all over the world, and Karl Lagerfield furnished his Monte Carlo penthouse entirely in Memphis furniture. Meanwhile, members like Andrea Branzi, Aldo Cibic, Michele de Lucchi, Nathalie du Pasquier, Kuramata, Paola Navone, Peter Shire, George Sowden, Sottsass and his wife, journalist Barbara Radice, went on to enjoy fruitful careers.
Some people think of the Milan-based collective as the design equivalent to Patrick Nagel’s kitschy screenprints, but for others Memphis represents what made the early 1980s so great: freedom of expression, dizzying patterns and off-the-wall colors.
Eventually, the Reagan era gave way to cool 1990s minimalism, and Memphis fell out of fashion. Sottsass left the group in 1985, and by 1987, it had disbanded. Yet decades later, Memphis is back and can be traced to today’s most exciting designers.
“As someone who was born in the 1980s, Memphis at times feels like the grown-up, artsy version of the toys I used to play with,” says Shaun Kasperbauer, cofounder of the Brooklyn studio Souda. “It feels a little nostalgic, but at the same time it seems like an aesthetic that’s perfectly suited to an internet age — loud, colorful and utilizing forms that are graphic and often a little unexpected.”
Find a collection of Memphis Milano seating, tables, decorative objects and other furniture on 1stDibs.
- Italian Midcentury Table from the 1960sLocated in bari, ITTable with feet in wood and terminal in brass, on top molded restro glass depicting black Carrara marble. Although not attributed to any designer of th...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Tables
MaterialsBrass
- Romeo Rega Italian Midcentury Table from the 70'sBy Romeo RegaLocated in bari, IT70's table composed of an elegant mix of metals with polished brass and steel finish. The central base is made of full honey-colored plexiglass with a diameter of 20 cm. The smoked glass top in the image is 15 mm thick and can also be modified with a more generous size top up to 150 cm, designer Romeo Rega little chipping on the side of crystal plane. Romeo Rega is born in Rome on 10 October 1925, third of six children, born and raised in the Trastevere district, in the heart of Rome. THE FIRST BIG STEPS. He is 27 years old when, in 1957, he enrolls in the Albo provinciale delle imprese artigiane (Provincial Register of Craft Enterprises) and opens his first workshop in Vicolo della Frusta 6, where he collaborates with talented masters of wrought iron and forging. At this point arrives the first important order: the design and manufacturing for Cinecittà of the chariots for the American colossal film Ben-Hur, which will be published in 1959. He stays in Vicolo della Frusta until the end of the 1960s, a period in which he dedicated himself to his favorite activity: the design of his own pieces and the relations with people. Among his clients there are personalities from the world of cinema and entertainment, such as Marcello Mastroianni, Renato Rascel and his wife Giuditta Saltarini, Massimo Ranieri...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Tables
MaterialsCrystal, Brass, Stainless Steel
- Italian Midcentury Rattan Table, Early 1970sLocated in bari, ITItalian rattan table, early 1970s with smoked glass top.Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Tables
MaterialsRattan, Smoked Glass
- Italian midcentury Giotto table by Gigi Sabadin for Crassevig 70'sBy Gigi Sabadin, CrassevigLocated in bari, ITGiotto table designed by Gigi Sabadin in 1972, the table made of wood changes shape, adapts by going from round to square, geometric figures that alternate as in a game of proportion...Category
Vintage 1980s Italian Mid-Century Modern Tables
MaterialsMaple
- Luciano Frigerio Italian Midcentury Table Early 70'sBy Frigerio Di Desio, Luciano Frigerio di DesioLocated in bari, ITNorman model table, designer Luciano Frigerio, production Frigerio di Desio year 1972 ca.Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Tables
MaterialsWood
- Ico Parisi Dinning Table from the 1950sBy Ico ParisiLocated in bari, ITDining table wooden frame with retro colored glass top in the style of Ico Parisi 1950s production.Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Tables
MaterialsGlass, Cherry
- Alessandro Mendini, Mid-Century Unique Large Black Table for Nanda Vigo, 1985By Alessandro MendiniLocated in Milan, ITAlessandro Mendini , Unique mid-century "Buon Compleanno" large black table with colored Lacquered Motifs Personally gifted from Alessandro Mendini to Nanda Vigo for her birthday, 19...Category
Vintage 1980s Italian Mid-Century Modern Tables
MaterialsLacquer
- Large Alessandro Mendini “Soli” Dining TableBy Alessandro MendiniLocated in Lake Worth Beach, FLArtist/Designer: Alessandro Mendini (Italian, 1931-2019); Studio Alchimia Additional Information: Dining or center hall table features a sand blasted etched circular top. Marking(s...Category
1990s Italian Dining Room Tables
MaterialsGlass, Wood
- Italian Post Modern Agrilo Console by Alessandro Mendini, 1980sBy Alessandro MendiniLocated in Renens, CHThe Agrilo Console designed by Alessandro Mendini is a captivating piece of furniture that combines functionality and artistic expression. Mendini (1931 – 2019), was a well-respect...Category
Vintage 1980s Italian Post-Modern Console Tables
MaterialsGlass, Wood
- Italian Postmodern “Sirfo” Side Table, Alessandro Mendini for Zanotta, 1980sBy Alessandro Mendini, ZanottaLocated in Milano, ITThe Sirfo side table is a mesmerizing creation envisioned by the legendary Alessandro Mendini for the renowned design house Zanotta. This avant-garde piece effortlessly merges art and functionality flaunting a harmonious blend of clean lines and playful curves. Its sinuous silhouette evokes a sense of fluidity, inviting the beholder to explore its contours and discover new perspectives at every angle. A true testament to Mendini's mastery, it challenges the notions of traditional furniture design and is able to adapt to various living spaces, whether placed in a cozy corner...Category
Vintage 1980s Italian Post-Modern Side Tables
MaterialsAluminum
- 1980s Postmodern Puzzle Coffee Table after Alessandro MendiniBy Alessandro MendiniLocated in Miami, FLThis 1980s Postmodern Puzzle Coffee/Side Table by Alessandro Mendini is an elegant and playful addition to any living space. The combination of intricate geometric shapes and classic...Category
20th Century European Post-Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsChrome
- Palm Springs Briar Dining Table by Ettore Sottsass for Memphis Milano CollectionBy Memphis Milano, Ettore Sottsass, Memphis GroupLocated in La Morra, CuneoThe Palm Springs dining table, in briar and plastic laminate was originally designed in 1984, by Ettore Sottsass for Memphis Milano. Ettore Sottsass was born in Innsbruck in 1917. ...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Dining Room Tables
MaterialsWood, Plastic
Recently Viewed
View AllRead More
This Rare Set of 100 Alessi Vases Includes Designs by Scores of International Artists
Alessandro Mendini, Michael Graves, Ettore Sottsass and other design luminaries contributed to this unusual collection of porcelain wares representing a time capsule of late-20th-century decorative art.
Remembering Alessandro Mendini, a Towering Figure in Italian Design
Aided by photos taken of the maestro in his Milan studio, we honor the influential design talent who died last month at 87.