Carlo Mollino

CARLO MOLLINO (Turin, 1905-1973) for ZANOTTA
Gilda" reclining chair, original design from 1953.
Red leather and wood.
It has four positions.
Exhibits sligthly wear consistent with age and use.
Measurements: 89 x 78,5 x 70 cm.
The iconic Gilda armchair was designed by Carlo Mollino in 1953, with its four positions, has become an iconic contemporary design.
Carlo Mollino was a multifaceted figure whose training in architecture, completed in 1931, gave rise to a profoundly heterogeneous creative career. His activity encompassed fields as diverse as architecture, furniture design, scenography, interior decoration and urban planning, all approached with a singular and avant-garde vision.
Endowed with an uncommon technical and aesthetic sensitivity, Mollino also cultivated extracurricular interests such as photography, motor racing and aeronautics, disciplines in which he achieved a high degree of specialization. This breadth of concerns was organically integrated into his design practice, enriching his production with an experimental and multidisciplinary dimension.
He is credited with the famous maxim "everything is permissible as long as it is fantastic", a phrase that accurately sums up the playful and transgressive spirit that permeated his work. His designs are dominated by undulating lines, reminiscent of natural and biomorphic forms, and a constant desire to reinterpret traditional craftsmanship under a modern and poetic key.
During the 1950s, Mollino established himself as one of the most emblematic figures of post-war Italian design, combining technical sophistication with a strong expressive component. Among his most important works is the Faculty of Architecture of the Politecnico di Torino, considered one of the most successful syntheses of his architectural thinking.