New Milan Museum Honors Stack Chair Designer Vico Magistretti

Written by Stephen Jewkes Saturday, 06 March 2010 19:44

MILAN (REUTERS).- A new museum commemorating Italian designer Vico Magistretti, famous for his creation of the stackable plastic chair, opened on Wednesday to pay tribute to a key figure in Italian modernism. The three-room museum is housed in the central Milan studio where Magistretti did most of his work. It was founded by the Vico Magistretti Foundation, which is headed by the architect's daughter Susanna Magistretti. "The idea is to introduce people to Magistretti's oeuvre through the work he left us," curator Simona Romano told Reuters at the museum opening.

Visitors will be able to access an extensive archive of Magistretti's work through a wall-hung touch screen computer. A series of objects and drawings will also be displayed bearing witness to the industrious flair of the man known as the dean of Italian modernism.

The Selene chair was copyrighted by Magistretti in 1967, but was not produced and marketed by furniture group Artemide until 1969. It was recently reintroduced into the company's catalog by popular acclaim.

Magistretti, who died in 2006 aged 85, "sought to combine the aesthetic with the utilitarian," Romano said.

She added that one of his mottoes was to "look at usual things with unusual eyes."

Besides the Selene chair, Magistretti also designed such well-known objects as the Telegono table lamp, the Ospite sofa bed, the plastic Gaudi chair and the Nuvola Rossa bookshelves.

Magistretti, a good friend of Italian architect Renzo Piano, also worked as an architect despite the enormous success he had with industrial design. Examples of his work can be seen at the museum with an invitation to visit his buildings in Milan.

He was born in milan on october 6th 1920 and graduated in architecture in 1945. He then joined his father's studio and from 1948 onwards took part in various editions of the milan triennial exhibition. He has won a number of prizes and awards: the gold medal at the 9th edition of the triennial (1951); the grand prix at the 10th edition of the triennial (1954); two compassi d'Oro (1967 and 1979); the gold medal of S.I.A.D. society of industrial artists & designers (1986).

In the 60's he began designing series production furniture, creating the first plastic chair, but this reached the production lines only in 1967.

Most of his lamps and furniture have been best sellers and also long sellers.

His works have been displayed in the major design exhibitions throughout europe, USA and Japan and are included in the permanent exhibitions of the world's most important museums. Twelve of his creations are part of the permanent collection of MoMA in new york.

(Reporting by Stephen Jewkes, editing by Paul Casciato)

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