Rare Osvaldo Borsani for Tecno Articulated Chaise Longue

Osvaldo Borsani for Tecno, articulated bed, model 'L77', lacquered steel, brass, reupholstered fabric, leather, Italy, design 1956, produced 1957

The multifunctional piece of furniture, model L77, designed in 1956 by Osvaldo Borsani and produced by Tecno, exemplifies innovation and versatility. Alongside two of his other iconic creations - the P40 armchair and the S88 chair - it was showcased at the 11th Triennale in Milan in 1957. The L77 features a steel frame with a sophisticated mechanism that allows for various adjustments, enabling it to transition between multiple reclining functions - from a bed to a chair. Users can comfortably recline for relaxation or sit upright to read a book. The levers on the sides of the bed allow for quick and effortless adjustment of the backrest angle, ensuring a personalized level of comfort. Additionally, the bed’s overall height can be adjusted from around 30 to 70 cm by modifying the rear legs. Its design combines practicality with functionality, offering wide usability. Recently reupholstered, the piece is ready for extended use. It is marked with the Tecno manufacturer logo.

Osvaldo Borsani (1911-1985) was an Italian designer and architect, raised by a family of fine furniture makers in Varedo. At the age of 16, he joined his father’s furniture shop, the Atelier di Varedo, which was fully engaged in designing and furnishing homes inspired by the Italian Art Deco movement. The designer of the atelier was the Italian architect Gino Maggioni (1898-1955) who was known for his Viennese Jugendstil orientation of the early 20th century. In the 1930s, he graduated from the Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera and Politecnico di Milano, where he studied Fine Arts and Architecture respectively. In 1932, the family company was renamed ‘Arredamenti Borsani’ and opened its first studio in Milan. During this period, he encountered Avant-Garde artists of various artistic disciplines like Lucio Fontana (1899-1968), Agenore Fabbri (1911-1998), Aligi Sassu (1912-2000), Roberto Crippa (1921-1972), Fausto Melotti (1901-1986), Arnaldo Pomodoro (1926-) and Giò Pomodoro (1930-2002). These collaborations resulted in the creation of furniture and interior design projects with a high-level of craftsmanship and artistry. In 1953, Borsani founded together with his twin brother Fulgenzio Borsani ‘Tecno’, a design and manufacturing company that produced items based on mechanical innovations and refined technicality. The ‘P40’ adjustable lounge chair (1953) has become the ideological manifesto of Borsani's Tecno program, and still remains the best known, exemplary piece in the Tecno catalogue. Other iconic works that were produced by Tecno were created by Gio Ponti (1891-1979), Vico cham (1920-2006), Carlo de Carli (1910-1999), Gae Aulenti (1927-2012), and many other influential Italian designers. Osvaldo Borsani died in 1985 in Milan. His diverse and sophisticated oeuvre is to be found in permanent collections, such as of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York, the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, Neue Sammlung in Munich, the Centre Pompidou in Paris, and the Trienalle di Milano Museum.

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