Anna Castelli & Ignazio Gardella

ANNA CASTELLI (Milan, 1918 - 2006) & IGNAZIO GARDELLA, for Kartell.
Dining table Model 4997, ca.1965.
Plastic, metal details.
Measurements: 72 x 90 x 90 cm.

Dining table designed by Anna Castelli and Ignazio Gardella in the sixties, produced by Kartell. Ascribed to the Space Age style, it is made entirely of white plastic except for the metallic ring detail that decorates the center of its cylindrical foot. This ends with an open foot cross. The envelope is circular.

Ignacio Gardella is one of the most important figures of 20th century Italian architecture. He founded the Azucena Agency with Luigi CAccia Dominioni, the first to inaugurate the Italian production of high quality design. Graduated in engineering at the Polytechnic University of Milan (while taking a degree in architecture at the IUAV in 1949), in his university years he came into contact with other young protagonists of the Milanese scene with whom he participated in the creation of the Italian Modern Movement. During the 1960s and 1970s, Gardella devoted himself to an intense professional activity, the importance of which is evidenced by his presence in international publications. Among his most significant projects was the Faculty of Architecture of Genoa (1975-1989), which brought him to the forefront of architectural debate.

Anna Castelli was an Italian architect and industrial designer. She is best known for her influence on the use of plastic as a design material and for co-founding Kartell, an Italian contemporary furniture company. She was one of the first women to study at the Polytechnic University of Milan, where she graduated in architecture in 1943. After her studies, from 1946 to 1947, she worked as an editor for the architectural magazine Costruzioni. In 1949, Ferrieri joined her husband, Giulio Castelli, in founding the furniture company Kartell, which would become a leading manufacturer of high-quality plastic furniture, lighting and home furnishings. As Kartell's in-house and principal designer, Anna Ferreri paved the way for innovative designs that led the company. In 1972, Ferrieri and her husband exhibited artwork in the show "Italia: The New Domestic Landscape" at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. This exhibition featured her "Componobili" from 1969.