Osvaldo Borsani and Eugenio Gerli 'T69' Table for Tecno, Italy, circa 1963

Osvaldo Borsani and Eugenio Gerli for Tecno, 'T69' Circular Center or Dining Table, Italy, circa 1963.

The circular center or dining table features a rich walnut top and a steel base which has a concave construction that conveys an organic dynamic design. The walnut has a beautiful grain and presents a stunning contrast with the metal leg construction. Label on inside of the leg, by Tecno Milano.
Size: 28 1/2" high x 47" diameter

In 1953, Osvaldo and his twin brother Fulgenzio, founded Tecno, with the aim of utilizing modern manufacturing techniques that delivered high-quality furniture to a larger international market. Initially, Tecno manufactured only Borsani’s furniture designs, and, although he continued to design furniture and objects until the early 1980s, by the late 1950s, Tecno also manufactured furniture from other designers, including Vico Magistretti, Roberto Mango, Gae Aulenti, Eugenio Gerli, Carlo de Carli, and Gio Ponti

Osvaldo Borsani (b. 1911, Varedo, Italy – d. 1985, Milano, Italy) was an Italian designer and architect. His father, Gaetano Borsani, owned a furniture shop, Atelier di Varedo, where Osvaldo received his early training. The designer of the atelier was the architect Gino Maggioni, who brought with him influences of the early 20th century Jugendstil movement from Vienna and who instilled in the young Borsani an appreciation for the art of furniture making. Osvaldo Borsani first studied fine arts at Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera in Milan, and after graduation in 1931, pursued studies in architecture at Politecnico di Milano, where he graduated in 1936,

In 1933, two years before graduating as an architect, Borsani designed the Casa Minima project for the V Triennale di Milano (Milan Triennial). This project earned
him a silver medal for its Rationalist code and geometries.

Along with Eugenio Gerli, Marco Fantoni, his brother Flugenzio, and his daughter Valeria, Osvaldo Borsani founded Centro Progetti Tecno (1970), a design shop focused on creating innovative products and interiors for work and school environments. Early furniture pieces by Tecno can be found in the permanent collections of the MoMA in New York, the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, the Centre Pompidou in Paris, the Trienalle di Milano Museum, and the Neue Sammlung in Munich.

In 2018, the Triennale di Milano organized a retrospective of Osvaldo Borsani’s work. The exhibition “Osvaldo Borsani” was co-curated by Tommaso Fantoni, Borsani’s grandson, and Norman Foster, who had worked with Borsani at Tecno.