Osvaldo Borsani Collectibles and Curiosities
Italian, 1911-1985
With his stylish and technically innovative furniture, Osvaldo Borsani helped change the face of Italian design in the 1950s and ’60s. His sofas and chairs, featuring deeply upholstered seating and adjustable position settings, have an aura of optimism and efficiency that still seems fresh and lively today.
Born in the commune of Varedo in northern Italy’s Lombardy region, Borsani studied at the Brera Academy in Milan — the same school attended by such luminaries as designer Piero Fornasetti and artist Lucio Fontana — as well as the Polytechnic University of Milan. Borsani first worked for his father’s furniture-making firm, Arredamenti Borsani, an atelier influenced by the more expressive and curvaceous wing of Art Deco design.
By 1953, when, along with his twin brother, Fulgenzio — the pair also created this visionary mid-century villa — Borsani opened the furniture company Tecno, his design sensibilities had evolved toward furnishings with strong, simple forms enhanced by mechanical innovations, as with the P40 adjustable armchair. Borsani would be the firm’s lead designer for 30 years, while fostering work by Vico Magistretti, Carlo De Carli, Robin Day and others.
Similar to Gio Ponti in the earliest years of his career, Borsani first created designs marked by lush and buoyant lines: tables with voluptuous curved legs, sofas with undulating backrests.
But Borsani’s best-known and most novel pieces date from Tecno’s initial furniture lines: the adjustable D70 sofa, which folds open to make a daybed, and the P40 recliner. The latter — now included in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art and the Victoria Albert Museum — is an articulated lounger with a back, seat and leg rest that can be moved into 486 different positions. Not only is it extremely comfortable, it is also enduringly chic.
Find a collection of vintage Osvaldo Borsani tables, dining chairs and other furniture on 1stDibs.
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Creator: Osvaldo Borsani
Osvaldo Borsani Handles Brass, 1950, Italy
By Osvaldo Borsani
Located in Milano, IT
Handles Borsani.
Category
1950s Other Vintage Osvaldo Borsani Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Brass
$1,793 / set
Osvaldo Borsani Monograph
By Tecno, Osvaldo Borsani
Located in New York, NY
First edition of this comprehensive monograph on acclaimed Italian architect and designer Osvaldo Borsani (1911-1985), tracing his career and oeuvre from early works in an Italian Ar...
Category
1990s Italian Mid-Century Modern Osvaldo Borsani Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
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Beautiful and important sculpturakl form brass single bed or day bed circa 1958-1963 by Osvaldo Borsani for 'Arredamento Borsani', Varedo , Italy.
The small series of Borsani beds designed were produced in several different designs ,each in very limited numbers and all hand made by the Arredamento Borsani in Varedo, italy. This series of beds never went into serial industrial production , a fact confirmed to me by the Arredamento Borsani archives.
Beginning in the late 1950s,Osvaldo Borsani went on to collaborate with many great artists such as Lucio Fontana, Fausto Melotti, Agenore Fabbri, Aligi Sassu and Arnaldo Pomodoro, amongst others entrusting each to provide decorative elements to his designs.
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We have had a new bespoke mattress and bolster pillow made with a natural latex foam surface as they would have originally had which also has the benefit that latex breathes. The mattress has an opulent decorative buttoned finish . Botht the mattress and pillow have been finished in 100% wool 'PLOEGWOOL' fabric by the high quality Dutch fabric manufacturer DE PLOEG.
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Osvaldo Borsani collectibles and curiosities for sale on 1stDibs.
Osvaldo Borsani collectibles and curiosities are available for sale on 1stDibs. These distinctive items are frequently made of metal and are designed with extraordinary care. There are many options to choose from in our collection of Osvaldo Borsani collectibles and curiosities, although orange editions of this piece are particularly popular. If you’re looking for additional options, many customers also consider collectibles and curiosities by Creazioni Sacchetti, La Medusa Oro, and Rosenthal. Prices for Osvaldo Borsani collectibles and curiosities can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $1,664 and can go as high as $1,664, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $1,664.