By Fulvio Ferrari, Napoleone Ferrari: The Furniture of Carlo Mollino

by Fulvio Ferrari

"Original and inventive, the work of Carlo Mollino (1905-73) is a unique chapter in the history of twentieth-century Italian design and architecture. For the first time, this book presents his complete works in furniture and interior design. Most of Mollino's furniture was site specific with one-off pieces created for specially commissioned interiors. Rarely available, these works are highly sought after by collectors and design enthusiasts alike." "From the start, both Mollino's interests and personality set him apart from his contemporaries. Influenced by the Second Futurism and Surrealist avant-gardes, Mollino was a modern-day Renaissance man active in an impressive number of fields, including aeronautics, automobile design, art, photography, set design, town planning, furniture, interior decoration and architecture. Through his extensive artistic research, he was able to combine various contrasting forms of expression, which gave his work a remarkable and unusual dynamic. His furniture was based on organic shapes, such as tree branches, animal horns and the human body - with the female profile figuring prominently in his designs. Beyond this highly personal aesthetic, his work involved research into materials and technology, and the development of complex construction techniques, as with the celebrated bent plywood 'Arabesque' table of 1950." Illustrated with original drawings, sketches and archival photographs, The Furniture of Carlo Mollino represents the most comprehensive record of Mollino's design production. Realized in collaboration with the Museo Casa Mollino and written by the Museum's curators, Napoleone and Fulvio Ferrari, this monograph offers an insight into Mollino's groundbreaking oeuvre.

Paperback

First published March 14, 2006

Reviews

[Lee]

living vicariously.