Item Description
An icon of early Italian modernism, the Franco Albini Triënnale Lounge Chair (1933) exemplifies the rationalist ethos that defined the progressive design culture of interwar Italy. Originally conceived for the Milan Triennale, this model distills structure and comfort into a rigorously elegant composition. The chair features a sculptural black-lacquered frame—precisely proportioned and architectonic in presence—supporting a suspended seat and backrest in natural leather. The vegetable-tanned leather develops a rich patina over time, enhancing its material authenticity and reinforcing Albini’s philosophy of honest construction and tactile integrity. The interplay between the taut leather planes and the linear frame creates a refined visual tension, balancing austerity with warmth. Albini, a central figure in Italian Rationalism, approached furniture with the same intellectual discipline he applied to architecture: clarity of structure, absence of superfluous ornament, and expressive use of materials. The Triënnale Lounge Chair stands as a seminal example of this methodology—simultaneously avant-garde for its time and enduringly contemporary. Ideal for collectors of museum-caliber Italian design, this piece integrates seamlessly into both modernist and eclectic interiors, functioning as a sculptural statement as much as a lounge seat. Designer: Franco Albini Model: Triënnale Lounge Chair Year of Design: 1933 Materials: Natural leather, black-lacquered frame Style: Italian Rationalism / Early Modernism A rare opportunity to acquire a cornerstone of 20th-century Italian design history. Literature; Stuhle aus stahl, metalmöbel 1925-1940, page 59.
