"Hyaline" Adjustable Lounge Chair
Decorative Arts
On View: Decorative Art, 20th-Century Decorative Arts, 4th Floor
Today when we think of where inventive contemporary design
is manufactured, we often think of Italy. This, however, was not
always the case. Wide acceptance of modern design came
somewhat later in Italy than elsewhere, perhaps because of the
ever-present conservative influence of the palpable Roman classical past and the slow development of the Italian economy
in the twentieth century. To be sure, before World War II there
were important modern designers in Italy, foremost Gio Ponti,
an architect from Milan whose influence spread beyond his
native country through two architecture and design magazines he
founded, Domus and Stile. And the Fascist regime of Mussolini in
the pre-World War II period did embrace modern architecture,
unlike the Nazi regime in Germany, which consciously rejected
modernism as a source of foreign, moral corruption. It was not,
however, until the post-World War II era, when the Italian economy
expanded rapidly, that Italian modern design achieved international recognition.
One pivotal event made consumers in the United States aware
of the diversity and accomplishments of modern Italian design—the exhibition Italy at Work, which travelled to twelve venues
between 1950 and 1954. The exhibition was initiated by the Art
Institute of Chicago in partnership with two organizations devoted to the promulgation of Italian design, Handicraft Development
Incorporated in the United States and its corresponding institution
in Italy, CADMA. Italy at Work included hundreds of objects by
more than 150 artisans and manufacturers and featured furniture,
ceramics, glass, textiles, metalwork, jewelry, shoes, knit clothing,
and industrial design. The exhibition opened at the Brooklyn
Museum, and at its conclusion, when the objects were dispersed
among the host institutions, the lion’s share, more than two hundred items, came to the Museum.
In the second half of the twentieth century, Italy became a
center for modern design. Many foreigners went there to study
and work at small, adventurous firms that produced high-quality objects.
MEDIUM
Colorless glass, stainless steel, urethane rolls, leather
Place Manufactured: Italy
DATES
ca. 1968
DIMENSIONS
28 x 27 1/2 x 35 1/2 in. (71.1 x 69.9 x 90.2 cm)
Cushions: 4 1/2 x 7 in. (11.4 x 17.8 cm)
(show scale)
MARKINGS
no marks
SIGNATURE
no signature
INSCRIPTIONS
no inscriptions
ACCESSION NUMBER
74.194.3
CREDIT LINE
Gift of Stendig, Inc.
RIGHTS STATEMENT
Creative Commons-BY
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CAPTION
Fabio Lanci (Italian, born 1935). "Hyaline" Adjustable Lounge Chair, ca. 1968. Colorless glass, stainless steel, urethane rolls, leather, 28 x 27 1/2 x 35 1/2 in. (71.1 x 69.9 x 90.2 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Stendig, Inc., 74.194.3. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 74.194.3_bw.jpg)
IMAGE
overall, 74.194.3_bw.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph
"CUR" at the beginning of an image file name means that the image was created by a curatorial staff member. These study images may be digital point-and-shoot photographs, when we don\'t yet have high-quality studio photography, or they may be scans of older negatives, slides, or photographic prints, providing historical documentation of the object.
CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION
"Hyaline" adjustable Lounge chair. Sides are two thick clear glass rectangular sheets with corners rounded, each resting on two small black coasters. This seat is hung at the top by stainless steel discs, which slip over top edge of glass sides. The seat is also locked at the bottom into the glass sides by stainless steel discs. The seat is formed of eight joined urethane rolls, which are upholstered with light brown leather. Top and bottom rolls are of larger diameter than others.
CONDITION - Tiny flaw in seat covering to right of center on bottom roll. Second roll from top has dark discoloration, Approximately 1 1/2 round.
RECORD COMPLETENESS
Not every record you will find here is complete. More information is available for some works than for others, and some entries have been updated more recently. Records are frequently reviewed and revised, and
we welcome any additional information you might have.
What's this?
This is called the "Hyaline" Adjustable Lounge Chair; it was designed by Fabio Lanci in the late 1960s. It's in the Postmodern style. Postmodernism was a reaction to it's predecessor, Modernism, which was considered too restrictive. Postmodernist groups in Italy focused on Anti-Design, which sought to undermine good taste and functionality by being ironic and provocative in their designs.
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