Poltronova: Italian radical design returned to the limelight
Much more than a furniture production company, has been and still is the heart of modern Italian creativity, today widely recognized throughout the world. Yes, because when Sergio Cammili founded it in Agliana (Pistoia), he did it with the spirit of those who had an education in art and architecture, and in fact, when in 1957 he met Ettore Sottsass jr, a professional alchemy immediately arose that will definitely mark the concept and company philosophy. Sottsass, who at the time created ceramics for Bitossi and was not yet an established designer, will become the creative director of Poltronova and will design iconic productions for the company, such as the Ultrafragola mirror. In 1966 Cammili and Sottsass visit the experimental design exhibition "Superarchitettura", organized by Superstudio and Archizoom, which starts the birth of radical design, of which Poltronova is perhaps the most integral industrial example. Radical design, born as an oppositional alternative to the prevailing rationalism of that period, was close to pop art from which it experimented with shapes and colors and the playfulness of projects. Sottsass is not the only talent discovered by Cammili, if it is true that among the young people launched by Poltronova there is also Gae Aulenti. Among the most iconic projects produced by the company, there are also the Joe De Pas armchair, D’Urbino & Lomazzi (1970); the Superonda sofa (1967) and the Mies armchair (1969) by Archizoom. From 2005, the Poltronova Study Center, which takes care of the archives but also the re-editions of its furnishings, takes care of the project's heritage and protects the company's identity. Here are the most iconic.
by Ettore Sottsass jr 1970
A lamp mirror characterized by a wavy frame that evokes the appearance of a long female hair. Ironic and sensual, with its ambiguous and provocative pink light, Ultrafragola is similar to an artistic installation and is the protagonist of the environment in which it is inserted (on the cover).
armchair by De Pas, D’Urbino & Lomazzi (1970)
Joe DiMaggio was a great icon of the American dream and this great chair is dedicated to him. It is not a simple armchair but a space to be interpreted freely and to relax in an informal way. A great baseball glove, but also, however, a big hand that welcomes.
by Archizoom Associati (1968)
A thin stem and the crown of a palm colored in pink, green or blue. The Sanremo lamp is an ironic and delicate light installation. In the prototype there was also a sound element, similar to the singing of a cricket, eliminated during production.
by Archizoom Associati (1966)
Archizoom designs, on the occasion of the "Superarchitettura" exhibition, a sofa consisting of two polyurethane elements, covered with plastic material that can be combined differently to form a seat that is definitely closer to a sculpture than to a sofa or a bench.
by Superstudio (1966)
In that same show appeared the Sofo sofa, compact but cozy, created with an "S" cut applied on a polyurethane cube, it is characterized by the design in color bands. Also available in an armchair version.
by Superstudio (1966)
Next to the Sofo sofa, Superstudio imagined the T01 magazine table, obtained by bending a 12-millimeter thick methacrylate slab characterized by a length equal to those of Sofo and a depth equal to half that of Sofo. And therefore with it in perfect proportion.
armchair by Archizoom Associati (1969)
At the origin of this chair there is the rubber strip used as a seat. Anchored to a chrome-plated metal structure with an under-lit footrest. In that same year, Mies Van Der Rohe died, to whom the chair is dedicated.
armchair by Nigel Coats (2011)
In more recent times, Poltronova has instead produced the Plasma armchair characterized by a composition of different sized and toned cushions, resting on a metal structure made with advanced bending and welding technologies.
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