Gaetano" desk by Gae Aulenti for Zanotta
About the Item
- Creator:Gae Aulenti (Designer),Zanotta (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 27.96 in (71 cm)Width: 59.06 in (150 cm)Depth: 29.53 in (75 cm)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1970
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Conversano, IT
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU8395236575432
Gae Aulenti
The Italian architect and designer Gae Aulenti will forever be best remembered for her work with museums, in particular her 1980–86 renovation of a Beaux Arts Paris train station to create the galleries of the Musée d’Orsay. Aulenti — whose first name, short for Gaetana, is pronounced “guy” — should also be recalled for her tough intellectual spirit and for working steadily when few women found successful architectural careers in postwar Italy.
After she graduated from the Milan Polytechic in 1954, Aulenti opened an architectural office. She also joined the staff of the progressive architectural magazine Casabella, whose editorial line was that the establishment, orthodox modernism of Le Corbusier and the Bauhaus, had outlived it usefulness. When their movement for fresh approaches to architecture and design received a sympathetic hearing, Aulenti found patrons — most prominently Gianni Agnelli, of Fiat, who later employed her to renovate the Palazzo Grassi in Venice for use as an arts exhibition space.
Commissions for showrooms and other corporate spaces brought Aulenti to furniture design. She felt that furniture should never dominate a room. Her chairs and sofas — low-slung, with rounded enameled metal frames and ample seats — and tables, particularly her 1972 marble Jumbo coffee table for Knoll, project solidity and sturdiness. In lighting design, however, Aulenti is bravura.
Each work has a marvelous sculptural presence. Pieces such as her Pipistrello table lamp and Quadrifoglio pendant are a perfect marriage of organically shaped glass and high-tech fixtures. Others have a futuristic elegance — and some even have a touch of personality. Aulenti’s Pileino and La Ruspa table lamps each look almost like little robots. Her lighting pieces are an artful grace note in the career of a woman who believed in strength.
Find vintage Gae Aulenti armchairs, coffee tables and other furniture on 1stDibs.
Zanotta
Entrepreneur Aurelio Zanotta founded Zanotta in 1954 in Nova Milanese, Italy. Originally called Zanotta Poltrona, it specialized in traditional furniture. By the early 1960s, however, Zanotta had established a reputation for edgy mid-century modern design. Today’s vintage furniture collectors know the brand well for its innovative and wholly sculptural chairs, coffee tables and more.
One of Zanotta’s earliest successes was the Mezzadro stool — better known as the Tractor stool — designed by Pier Giacomo Castiglioni and his brother Achille in the late 1950s. In 1965, Zanotta was among the first furniture companies to work with expanded polyurethane foam and frameless construction, such as for the Throw-Away sofas and armchairs designed by Willie Landels. Another popular design was the Blow chair — designed by Jonathan De Pas, Donato D’Urbino, Paolo Lomazzi and Carla Scolari — viewed by many as a physical expression of late '60s carefree culture.
In 1969, amid the provocative movement we now call Italian Radical Design, Zanotta’s Sacco chair garnered major attention. The boundary-pushing beanbag chair was the brainchild of designers Piero Gatti, Cesare Paolini and Franco Teodoro who presented it to Aurelio Zanotta as a transparent vinyl sack loosely filled with small polystyrene balls. He suggested its signature brightly colored leather.
The Sacco chair won the 1970 ADI Design Museum’s Compasso d’Oro award. In 1972, the Museum of Modern Art in New York included it in the landmark exhibition “Italy: The New Domestic Landscape” curated by designer Emilio Ambasz. In 2020, it received a Compasso d’Oro ADI Lifetime Achievement Award for 50 years of enduring popularity. It is now in museum collections around the world including the Triennale Design Museum of Milan, the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, and London’s Victoria & Albert Museum.
After Aurelio Zanotta died in 1991, the company remained in his family and has been run by his three children since 2002. Zanotta continues to set the bar high for furniture design with trend-setting pieces.
On 1stDibs, find a collection of vintage Zanotta seating, tables and other furniture.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Conversano, Italy
- Return PolicyThis item cannot be returned.
- Linea Mobili desk model "I Caccia alla Volpe" by Franco PoldarettiLocated in Conversano, ITStunning solid cherry wood desk with rosewood inlays, an authentic design gem produced by Linea Mobili company and part of the prestigious "I Caccia alla Volpe" series designed by Fa...Category
Vintage 1980s Italian Desks and Writing Tables
MaterialsCopper
- Sedie "Irma" di Achille Castiglioni per ZanottaBy Achille Castiglioni, ZanottaLocated in Conversano, ITIconico set di 4 sedie IRMA disegnate da Achille Castiglioni negli anni '70 e prodotte dalla rinomata azienda italiana Zanotta. Le sedie sono caratterizzate da una struttura in accia...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsIron
- Scrivania in Rattan e Cuoio Italo GasparucciLocated in Conversano, ITEsclusiva scrivania in rattan tinto rosso con pregevoli dettagli in cuoio intrecciato, dotata di un resistente piano in legno massello realizzata dal designer italiano Italo Gasparuc...Category
Vintage 1970s European Desks and Writing Tables
MaterialsLeather, Rattan, Hardwood
- "Daniel" cabinet by Paolo Piva for FAMABy Fama, Paolo PivaLocated in Conversano, ITDiscover the wonderful cabinet from the "Daniel" series dating back to the 1970s, a unique creation of the renowned FAMA firm in Adria, designed by the acclaimed Paolo Piva during hi...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Cupboards
MaterialsCrystal
- "Wave" armchair by Giovanni Offredi for SaporitiBy Giovanni Offredi, SaporitiLocated in Conversano, ITStunning and rare version of the "Wave" Armchair designed by Giovanni Offredi and produced by Saporiti Italia in the late 1970s. Very rare in the version with gloss black painted fee...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Slipper Chairs
MaterialsSteel
- Chairs by Tito Agnoli for Matteo GrassiBy Matteo Grassi, Tito AgnoliLocated in Conversano, ITExtraordinary and rare set of 4 teal leather chairs designed by Tito Agnoli and produced by Matteo Grassi. The chairs feature high-quality leather upholstery with fine details and st...Category
Vintage 1980s Italian Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsLeather
- Gae Aulenti worktable / desk, Gaetano-series for Zanotta, Italy Post-ModernBy Zanotta, Gae AulentiLocated in Stockholm, SEWorktable / desk with original glass top with two black and red colored metal folding saw horse legs. Model Cardine, apart of the Geatano-series designed in the 1970s by Gae Aulenti ...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Post-Modern Desks and Writing Tables
MaterialsMetal
- Mid-Century Modern Desk/Table by Gae Aulenti for Zanotta, Italy, 1970sBy Gae AulentiLocated in Brussels, BEMid-Century Modern Desk/Table by Gae Aulenti for Zanotta,Italy, 1970sCategory
Vintage 1970s Italian Desks and Writing Tables
MaterialsGlass
- Gaetano work table by Gae Aulenti for Zanotta - Italy - 70'sBy Zanotta, Gae AulentiLocated in Padova, ITGaetano work table by Gae Aulenti for Zanotta with original glass top supported by two folding trestles in black and red enamelled metal. Timeless object. With a dry and essential de...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Tables
MaterialsMetal, Aluminum
- Quaderna Desk by Superstudio for Zanotta, 1970sBy Superstudio, ZanottaLocated in Ixelles, BruxellesDesigner - Superstudio Producer - Zanotta Model - Quaderna Desk Design Period - Seventies Measurements - Width 180 cm x Depth 80 cm x Height 75 cm Materials - Wood Color - Back, whit...Category
Vintage 1970s Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
MaterialsLaminate
- Gae Aulenti Laminate and Purple Metal Italian Coffee Table for Zanotta, 1970sBy Zanotta, Gae AulentiLocated in Roma, ITAmazing midcentury laminate and purple enamel metal coffee table. This fantastic piece was designed in Italy by Gae Aulenti for Zanotta during the 1970s. This stunning straight-lined table with a clean enamelled metal frame with a light purple laminate formica top is in a stunning vintage condition. A wonderful item is perfect to complete a mid-century minimal living room...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsCrystal, Metal
- Italian Bauhaus White Desk Comacina by Piero Bottoni for Zanotta, 1980sBy ZanottaLocated in MIlano, ITItalian Bauhaus White Desk Comacina by Piero Bottoni for Zanotta, 1980s Desk mod. Comacina with rectangular wooden top and rectangular insert in whi...Category
Vintage 1980s Italian Bauhaus Desks and Writing Tables
MaterialsStainless Steel
Recently Viewed
View AllRead More
We Dare You Not to Smile at These Whimsical Italian Designs
Make anyplace your happy place with Italian furniture at its subversive best.
With Zanotta House, an Italian Design Dream Home Lands in New York City
Alessia Genova takes us on a tour of her design for the eminent furniture maker’s new shoppable townhouse in Greenwich Village.