Alessandro Mendini, for Zabro

ALESSANDRO MENDINI (Milan, 1931–2019) for Zabro, Zanotta’s Nuova Alchimia collection.
“Cetonia” chest of drawers, designed in 1984.
Lacquered wood with hand-painted polychrome decoration, mirror, and silver-plated metal handles.
Provenance: BD Ediciones de Diseño, Barcelona.
Reference bibliography: Pier Carlo Bontempi and Giorgio Gregori, *Alchimia*, Alchimia Edizioni, 1985, p. 34; Alberto Fiz, *Mendini Alchimie. Dal Controdesign alle Nuove Utopie, Electa, Milan, 2010, p. 142.
In good condition. Shows signs of use and a minor chip in the lacquer on the front.
Measurements: 89 x 120 x 55 cm (chest of drawers); 16.5 x 80 x 3.5 cm (mirror).

Designed in 1984, “Cetonia” is one of Alessandro Mendini’s most representative creations for the Nuova Alchimia collection, associated with the Italian firm Zanotta. This piece is a less common variation of the model, featuring an upper mirror, which reflects the designer’s interest in transforming domestic objects through formal experimentation. Its conception is rooted in the context of Italian postmodern design, which challenged the essentialist principles of functionalism.

The dresser features a body with gently undulating contours, organized into eight drawers distributed across two vertical sections. Its surface is adorned with an abstract composition of geometric and organic forms, rendered in a delicate palette of grays, blues, whites, and golds. The decoration extends across the fronts, sides, and top, establishing a visual continuity that transforms the piece into an object with a painterly quality. The rectangular mirror located at the back of the top completes the unique composition. This integration of painting and furniture reflects Mendini’s desire to blur the boundaries between art and design.

The significance of “Cetonia” within the designer’s body of work is reflected in its inclusion in the collection of the Indianapolis Museum of Art, which holds an example of the model. Its creation as part of the Nuova Alchimia project stands as a testament to the collaboration between Studio Alchimia’s artistic experimentation and the Italian industrial tradition.

Alessandro Mendini was one of the key figures in Italian radical and postmodern design. An architect, designer, and theorist, he played a decisive role in the renewal of the decorative arts through his collaborations with Studio Alchimia, Zanotta, and Alessi. He edited the magazines *Casabella*, *Modo*, and *Domus*, and among his most iconic creations is the famous “Poltrona di Proust” (1978). His work is represented in major institutions such as the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York and the Centre Pompidou in Paris. In 2024, the Milan Triennale dedicated the major retrospective “Io sono un drago” to him, organized in collaboration with the Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain.