Tobia Scarpa, two Pigreco wooden chairs for Gavina, set of two (1959)

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The Pigreco chair was designed by the famous Italian architect Tobia Scarpa in 1959 for the Gavina company. This is an extremely important work in Scarpa’s artistic career, in fact it was the graduation project at the end of his studies in architecture at the University of Venice with professor Franco Albini. The work has a solid wooden structure and an original leather seat, thus retaining all the charm that characterizes one of the icons of Italian design of those years.Creator: Tobia Scarpa (Designer)Dimensions: Height: 24.02 in (61 cm)Width: 21.66 in (55 cm)Depth: 16.93 in (43 cm)Seat Height: 16.54 in (42 cm)Style: Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)Materials and Techniques: Leather,WoodPlace of Origin: ItalyPeriod: 1950-1959Date of Manufacture: 1959Condition: GoodReupholstered. Wear consistent with age and use. The chairs have been reupholstered and recolored and are in very good condition.Seller Location: Argelato, ITReference Number: 1stDibs: LU7342238090252Shop All Tobia Scarpa

Tobia Scarpa

Widely recognized as superstars of postmodern Italian design, husband-and-wife team Afra and Tobia Scarpa (19372011; b. 1935) collaboratively created chairs, sofas and other furniture that work equally well in both traditional and cutting-edge environments.

Afra Bianchin and Tobia Scarpa met as architecture students at the Universit Iuav di Venezia. In a class led by architect and furniture designer Franco Albini, they created their first collaborative piece, the Pigreco armchair, later produced with Gavina. After graduating in 1957, Tobia Scarpa worked for Murano glass company Venini Co. before the couple opened a studio in Afras hometown, Montebelluna, in 1960. (Tobia, the son of famed glass artist and architect Carlo Scarpa, was born in Venice.)

Ranging from architecture and interior design to furniture and clothing, the Scarpas practice from its beginnings in the mid-1950s to the 21st century has included a diverse scope of projects combining new technology with thoughtful function and sculptural yet simple forms.

For Afra and Tobia, a close collaborative process was pivotal to the success of their designs. The duo was also prolific they designed for the most influential European manufacturers, including BB Italia, Cassina, Knoll and FLOS. With respect to the latter, Afra and Tobia were among the legendary Italian lighting makers earliest collaborators, and their pioneering designs for the brand included the Papillon lamp, one of the first fixtures to use halogen technology. Their most recognized designs include the Bastiano sofa (1962), the Vanessa bed (1959), the Coronado sofa (1966) and the Soriana seating collection (1970). Work on the Soriana sofa began in late 1969 for an early 1970 debut, and it feels as radical today as it did in its heyday.

Architecture was also a central part of Afra and Tobias practice, which spanned residential buildings and factories for Italian companies such as Benetton. Their commissions for the global fashion brand included numerous industrial projects, from textile plants to storefronts. By 1985, Afra and Tobia Scarpas work was celebrated in a 30-year retrospective at Center Four in Queens, New York. Looking around the 30,000-square-foot exhibition space, Afra joked to the New York Times, Seeing all those things makes us feel very tired, and now we feel that maybe we worked too much.

It was not too much for their legacy, as Afra and Tobia Scarpas work continues to inspire new generations. Scarpa designs are in collections at the Louvre, the Museum of Modern Art and the Victoria and Albert Museum. The couple was awarded the Compasso dOro in 1970 for the Soriana armchair.

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