Giancarlo de Carlo.

GIANCARLO DE CARLO (Genoa, 1919 - Milan, 2005).
Set of four chairs model "Lucania", 1954.
Wood.
In good general state of preservation, with slight marks of use commensurate with its age on the plywood between back and seat.
Measurements: 96 x 45 x 55 cm (x4); 45 cm (seats, x4).
Set of four chairs of Italian rationalist design, characterized by a structure of pure and refined lines that prioritize functionality and constructive clarity. Its design responds to the principles of post-war modernism, with particular attention to ergonomics and the everyday use of the object.
Giancarlo De Carlo trained at the Politecnico di Milano and later graduated in architecture in Venice in 1949. From his early days he was deeply involved in political and social life, participating in the Italian Resistance and joining post-war intellectual circles, which defined his vision of architecture as a tool for social transformation.
During the 1950s he developed an intense professional and theoretical activity, collaborating with magazines such as Domus and Casabella, and participating in the international debate on the renewal of the Modern Movement. As a member of CIAM and later of Team X, he became one of the most critical voices of orthodox functionalism, advocating a more flexible, contextual architecture, open to the participation of users.
This idea culminated in his concept of "architecture of participation", developed in the 1960s, which proposed actively integrating the inhabitants in the design process, as demonstrated by projects such as the University of Urbino, La Pineta or the experiences in Terni and Rimini. At the same time, he was a professor of urban planning at the IUAV in Venice (1955-1983), founder of the ILAUD laboratory (1976) and of the magazine Spazio e società (1978), from where he promoted constant reflection on the social role of design. The Lucania chairs, which combine rationalism, functionality and early attention to ergonomics, reflect the coherence between his theoretical thinking and his design production.