 |
 |
"Margherita" Chair and Ottoman by Franco Albini Italy 1950 The legendary Neo-Rationalist architect Franco Albini (1905-1977) had his playful side, and the "Margherita" chair of 1950 was just such a departure. Recalling the lines, materials, and techniques of the turn-of-the-century, the "Margherita" is perhaps the first example of what would later come to be called "Stile Liberty", or the Liberty Style -- after London's famous Arts & Crafts / Art Nouveau emporium. While the design of the "Margherita Chair" anticipated "Stile Liberty", "Stile Liberty" itself anticipated many of the design themes of the 1960s and 1970s, and represented an early challenge to the orthodoxy of modernism, which had until then ignored Art Nouveau, deriding it as a frivolous dead-end. This was not the first example of Albini's startling prescience, and it pointed the way not only to further re-explorations of forgotten or forbidden fruit, heretofore excluded from the modernist canon, but also ultimately in the inclusive direction of post- and late- modernism. The "Margherita" Chair added many further prizes and awards (including the Gold Medal at the ninth Milan Triennale) to Albinis crowded mantlepiece, and was widely exhibited, not least at the Museum of Modern Art. Both the chair and ottoman were handmade in the workshops of Vittorio Bonacina, located between Milan and Lake Como. A seat cushion for the chair, not shown in the photograph, is included. Price $3,300 Condition Excellent condition. (Please note that it is not easy to find "Margherita" chairs complete with their ottomans.) Measurements Height: 40 in. Width/Length: 28.5 in. Depth: 34 in. Specifications Number of items: 2 Materials/Technique: woven cane Creator: Franco Albini Reference: U0909248091412 |
||||||