Mario Botta for Alias

MARIO BOTTA (Switzerland, 1943) for Alias.
Quinta" chair.
Painted steel.
With original label.
In very good condition.
Measurements: 94 x 45 x 52 cm.

The Quinta chair, designed by Mario Botta and produced by the Italian firm Alias around 1980, is one of the most significant incursions of the Swiss architect in the field of furniture. Known internationally for his architecture of emphatic geometric volumes and strong symbolic charge, Botta transfers to this piece the same principles of formal rigor and structural clarity that characterize his architecture.
In contrast to the decorative excess that defined certain designers of the time, Botta proposes a geometric synthesis of great purity: defined lines, clearly legible structure and a composition based on the relationship between planes and supports. The chair stands out for its sculptural presence, since from any angle it offers a different reading of full and empty spaces.
Architect and designer, Mario Botta designed his first house at the age of sixteen, although it is not known if it was built. He studied at the Liceo Artistico in Milan and at the University Institute of Architecture in Venice, where his main teacher was Carlo Scarpa. His ideas were influenced by Le Corbusier and Louis Kahn, with whom he had the opportunity to work during his stay in Venice. In 1970 he opened his own office in Lugano. Botta's style is strong and geometric, with symmetrical floor plans hollowed out to allow passage. His buildings combine heavy concrete or brick walls with light steel and glass structures. His works are spread throughout Switzerland, although he is also the author of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (1995). Since 1996 he has been teaching at the Academy of Architecture in Mendrisio at the University of Italian Switzerland.