Renzo Zavanella (1900 - 1988)

Pair of rare armchairs, 1950 - 1960

Fabric and walnut

Dimensions

45 x 30 1/2 x 32 1/4 inches (114.4 x 77.5 x 81.8 cm)

Together with a certifi cate from the Renzo Zavanella Archives.

Fabric reupholstered.

Provenance

Private Collection, Milan

Geoffrey Diner Gallery

Literature

‘Mobili italiani per l’America’, Domus, no. 292, March 1954, p. 66 Roberto Aloi,  L’ Arredamento Moderno, sesta serie, Milan, 1955, fi gs. 284-85

The present pair of armchairs, designed by the Mantuan architect Renzo Zavanella, synthesises his experimentation with new technical forms and his affi nity for traditional craftsmanship. Zavanella, who began his career working in the studio of Gio Ponti and Emilio Lancia, designed unique works for each of his projects, which were characterised by his search for expressive forms and a three dimensional sculptural quality. Notably, after seeing Zavanella’s lounge chairs for the Salone dell’Hotel a San Remo (1949), Ponti asked whether the designs were executed in fabric or in plastic. Zavanella’s furniture designs for the hotel lounge were enriched by a classical-inspired mural painted in gold, pink and periwinkle by Lucio Fontana, who was a close friend and collaborator of the architect. As demonstrated, Zavanella’s work is also greatly infl uenced by his ergonomic studies for train seating. Whilst the armchairs’ low seat and high narrow back are characteristic of Zavanella’s seating designs of the late 1940s and 1950s, their dynamic form supported by three legs and their curved headrest closely relate to the architect’s studies for Offi cine Meccaniche (O.M.) railcar seating. At the 1948 Milan Fair Zavanella exhibited a new railcar travelling from Milan to San Remo, presenting to the public train travel of increased speed and comfort. The wide seat and curved shape of the railcar’s seating, which Zavanella applied to these armchairs, allowed the sitter greater fl exibility, refl ecting a new period of optimism in post-war Italy.