Franco Albini graduated in architecture from the Milan Polytechnic in 1929. The young man began his career working alongside one of the most emblematic figures of Italian design, Gio Ponti. The Milan Triennial allowed him to show his pieces for the first time. In 1930, he becomes self-employed.
His furniture is a perfect example of the combination of modern design and traditional craftsmanship. This seems to be one of the characteristics of this aesthetic modernity rooted in the formal vocabulary of past times. In a rigorously minimalist approach, the materials used by the designer are generally cheap or even completely raw.
Franco Albini (1905-1977)
Modèle n°PS16
Result: 13000 €
A few months before the outbreak of the Second World War, Franco Albini achieved his first success by designing a radio made entirely of glass. The separation between inside and outside evaporated. The creator multiplied the flagship pieces such as the Margherita and Gala rattan armchairs in 1950, then the so-called "Fiorenza" for the Artflex company.
From the beginning of the 1960s, he envisaged an additional field of expertise by working for industrial design. He carried out large-scale architectural projects, including the Rinascente Building in the Italian capital and, in 1963, several stations of the Milanese underground.
Franco Albini (1905-1977)
Modèle n° 7
Result: 104000 €
Having just exhibited the television set he had designed for Brionvega at the Milan Triennale, Franco Albini created a series of lamps and luminaires for the famous company Arteluce in 1964.
Franco Albini's work is not only modern and often avant-garde, but also stands out for the diversity of his proposals. For example, as an interior designer, he is the author of a Zanini fur shop in Milan and the museographic design of the San Lorenzo treasure in Genoa.
Franco Albini (1905-1977), attribué à
Paire de fauteuils
Result: 9360 €