Carlo Mollino is an Italian architect, designer and photographer. He created a unique oeuvre, often site-specific works and never manufactured for the general public. Rarely seen in the market as a set of 8, these chairs were designed for the prestigious Casa del Sole apartments in Cervinia, a luxurious Italian ski resort project near Switzerland carried by Mollino in 1953. Mollino brings the culture of the Alps into the Modern design movement by redesigning the traditional alpine three-legged wooden chair.
It is sturdy, pragmatic and conceived to be used by skiers. It had to sustain weight, snow and moisture; but the lines are sculptural, elegant, and the curves follow perfectly these of the human body. Each chair was refined by hand, to create a perfectly smooth finish.
The series is a very limited production of 150 models, manufactured by Ettore Canali in Brescia, a company specialized in luxury wooden furniture
The Museo Carlo Mollino has authentified the set.
Literature:
F.&N. Ferrari, Phaidon (ed.), The furniture of Carlo Mollino, New York 2011, pp. 204-205.
A. Lindemann, TASCHEN (ed.), Collecting Design, Cologne 2010, pp. 248-249.
I. de Guttry & M.P. Maino, Laterza (ed.), Il Mobile Italiano Degli Anni 40 e 50, Rome 2006, pp. 214-215.
Provenance:
Casa del Sole Apartments, Cervinia, Italy
Private Collection, Italy
Acquired from the above.
Certificate of Authenticity issued by the Museo Casa Mollino.