Conti, Forlani and Grassi for Emilio Paoli 'Artigianato' Chair

Sergio Conti, Marisa Forlani and Luciano Grassi for Emilio Paoli, 'Artigianato' lounge chair from the Monofilo series, lacquered iron, nylon, Italy, design 1953, made 1954/55

During the Mostra dell’Artigianato exhibition in Florence in 1954, architects Sergio Conti, Marisa Forlani, and Luciano Grassi unveiled the Artigianato lounge chair as part of their Monofilo line. Drawing from Grassi’s experience at the Hochschule für Gestaltung Ulm, the project combined elements of industrial methodology with craftsmanship. The lounge chair features a single nylon strand intricately wrapped around the iron tubular framework. This forms a durable mesh capable of enduring strain. This design concept derives from experiments in chair constructions utilizing steel wire, pioneered by Charles and Ray Eames and Harry Bertoia, and reminiscent of the stringing technique employed in tennis rackets. While it was nominated for a Compasso d’Oro award in 1955, the series remained relatively obscure, known only to a small group of collectors and architects. The chair's anonymity was underscored when Giancarlo Realini and Giorgio Tagliabue presented it as their own design, named "Richard," at the 1982 Milan Furniture Fair, where it even received a design prize.

The present chair adorned the garden of Villa Fiorita (1952-1958), situated in Saronno, within the province of Varese, in the region of Lombardy, Italy. The garden envisioned by Pietro Porcinai (1910-1986) in collaboration with the B.B.P.R. Studio, stands as a pinnacle of Porcinai's legacy. Regarded as one of Italy's prominent landscape architects of the 20th century, Porcinai's body of work encompasses an array of projects spanning various scopes: from gardens and public parks to industrial districts, hotels, tourist villages, motorways, and agricultural areas. His portfolio, comprising hundreds of projects both in Italy and international, showcases an unparalleled mastery in designing "landscaped" gardens that seamlessly blend with their environments, evoking an untouched natural allure.

Dating back to 1895, Emilio Paoli established a small household items company in Florence, Italy, which rose to prominence as a producer of straw products. By 1908, Paoli successfully expanded its production capabilities. During the period of economic growth that followed the war, the company shifted its focus to manufacturing wicker, rattan furniture, Venetian-style furnishings, as well as baskets, bags, hats, and sandals. In 1950/51, Paoli showcased its creations at the exhibition "Italy at Work: Her Renaissance in Design Today" held at the Brooklyn Museum, New York. In the years 1954-55, Emilio Paoli manufactured tubular steel chairs with nylon threading, a design by the architects Sergio Conti, Marisa Forlani, and Luciano Grassi. Subsequently, in 1957, the company showcased woven bark items at the Triennale di Milano.

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