Lot: 132

Cesare Leonardi; Franca Stagi
'Dondolo', 1967

H. 76 x 40 x 173 cm. Made by Elco, Venice, 1967. Molded fiberglass reinforced polyester, white.

Additional stability achieved through incorporated ribs.

In the course of the social upheavals of the 1960s, the call for new materials was growing louder, which finally manifested itself in the use of plastics. Especially in Italy, which established itself as the leading design nation during this period, a multitude of innovative designs emerged in handling of the material that characterized the entire era. In this context, the 'Dondolo' is considered to be an extremely rare design 'icon' of the plastic boom towards the end of the 1960s. It shows in an impressive way how the classic rocking chair can be reinterpreted. The result was a previously unknown chair form with a sculptural appeal. The floating, cantilevered seat clearly demonstrates the designers' ambition to push the material's capabilities to the limit. Only about 50 copies of the 'Dondolos' were made. These are now in the most important international collections, such as the Museum of Modern Art New York, the Victoria & Albert Museums London, the Neue Sammlung Munich and the Vitra Design Museum Weil am Rhein.

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Hammer Price: 43,500 €