Armchair mod. 849

Armchair mod 849 designed by Gianfranco Frattini for Cassina - Structure in walnut and fabric - Original conditions -

Gianfranco Frattini was an Italian architect and designer who created multifunctional chairs, desks, and lamps. He is commonly associated with the Boalum lamp, designed in collaboration with Livio Castiglioni, which was a flexible tube-shaped light source that could be rearranged to adjust its phosphorescence. His constructions were conceived as solutions to clumsy and awkward design flaws. “Design is above all an effort to improve reality,” the artist said of his practice. “I always try to begin with considerations of its function. I ask myself, who needs it, which materials best suit its function, and so on.” Born on May 15, 1926 in Padua, Italy, Frattini received his architectural training from the Polytechnic University of Milan. After completing his education, he studied under Italian architect Gìo Ponti, and developed a passion for woodwork, which he later incorporated into many of his furniture pieces. The artist was the winner of the Triennial di Milano Medaglie and Gran Premio award. His work is presently held in the collections of The Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum in New York, among others. Frattini died on April 6, 2004 in Milan, Italy.