The brainchild of the Fratelli Gugliermetto company, Gufram was born in 1966 in Turin, Italy, massively inspired by the avant-garde artistic culture that reigned in Europe during the 1960s and '70s. The brand is known for its CACTUS coat stand and sculptural seating such as the Pratone chair as well as other massive, innovative pieces that fall somewhere between art and furniture.
Starting in the mid-1960s, proponents of Italian Radical Design — which included forward-looking collectives like Archizoom and Studio 65 — broke with formality and convention by fusing the joy of Pop art with the systems of mass production.
One of the brands that formed as a result of these experiments was Gufram, a manufacturer at the forefront of the country’s Radical Design movement. The Gugliermetto brothers teamed up with emerging artists to harness exciting new materials — among them, polyurethane foam, which was originally used in the transportation industry as insulation to keep buses and trains warm.
Despite being credited for revolutionizing Italian design, until the mid-1970s, Gufram was largely unknown outside the small Italian town where it was founded. Nearly six years after the brand’s inception, though, word got out about a furniture brand transforming polyurethane foam into gigantic works of art. So, Gufram brought its playful and witty design concept across the Atlantic to New York’s Museum of Modern Art, where it had its first international show.
Gufram produced much of the Pop furniture — the CACTUS coat rack by Guido Drocco and Franco Mello and the Bocca sofa, in the shape of big red lips, by Studio 65 — that came to define the Anti-Design movement. (Through a relationship with Gufram, the latter was imported to the United States by Charles Stendig, a collector and pioneering importer who helped spark America’s interest in furniture from Finland, Switzerland and Italy during the 1960s and ‘70s.)
Although furniture can be serious business, it’s just as often playful, provocative, energizing and even liberating. Perhaps nothing embodies these characteristics better than postmodern Italian design. And one of the most iconic pieces to originate during Italy’s fertile period of postmodern furniture design is the Pratone chair, designed in 1971 by Giorgio Ceretti, Piero Derossi and Riccardo Rosso.
Representing a magnified portion of a grassy meadow, the Pratone chaise provides a lounging place for an individual or a group. “It is so unlike anything else that it stands out and is still iconic after 50 years,” said Charley Vezza, Gufram’s global creative orchestrator.
Made of painted polyurethane foam, the Pratone chair immediately became the symbol of a new and different approach to interiors when it debuted.
Gufram has become a favorite of the international art crowd and glitterati, and its products have made their way to the world’s most renowned museums, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Vitra Design Museum and more.
British fashion designer Paul Smith and American multi-hyphenate artist A$AP Rocky have collaborated with Gufram over the years. Interior designer Tony Ingrao has called the Pratone chair one of his favorite works and featured the larger-than-life piece in an exhibition he curated at R & Company in 2016.
Find new and vintage Gufram chairs, sofas, mirrors and other Gufram furniture for sale on 1stDibs.
Guframini Cactus
By Gufram Furniture
Located in Milan, IT
Gufram icons have become smaller and have turned into Guframinis! Designed in a 1:8 scale the new miniatures perfectly reproduce the famous original sculptures. Each "mini" creation ...
Resin
Guframini Bocca
By Gufram Furniture
Located in Milan, IT
Gufram icons have become smaller and have turned into Guframinis! Designed in a 1:8 scale the new miniatures perfectly reproduce the famous original sculptures. Each "mini" creation ...
Resin
Talismano Anthropomorphic Figurine by Aldo Londi
By Bitossi
Located in Milan, IT
Anthropomorphic figurine from the Riedizioni archivio storico collection, featuring subtle incision details beneath bluette and violet glaze accents. This limited edition piece, reis...
Ceramic
Guframini Pratone
By Gufram Furniture
Located in Milan, IT
Gufram icons have become smaller and have turned into Guframinis! Designed in a 1:8 scale the new miniatures perfectly reproduce the famous original sculptures. Each "mini" creation ...
Resin
F.4 Sculpture by Natalie Du Pasquier
By Bitossi
Located in Milan, IT
Capturing the unique post-modernist style of Nathalie du Pasquier, this sculpture is defined by bold geometric elements in different colors stacked in an abstract shape. Turned on a lathe and finished with a matte glaze, the black lower section features a round base with two truncated cones connected at the base, while the white top has a truncated cone with a round top with a rectangular finial. Synonymous with quality and design creativity, this superb sculpture makes...
Ceramic
Testa Mc Male Anthropomorphic Polychrome Sculpture #2
By Fornace Mian
Located in Milan, IT
Eccentricity and preciousness coexist in this superb anthropomorphic sculpture offered in a vivid chromatic scheme. The different-sized wide-open eyes trace an expression standing ha...
Glass
Cactus Sculpture Gammablue by Gufram
Located in Beverly Hills, CA
The subject of uncountable, free and often equivocal interpretations, Cactus is the icon of Italian design that revolutionized the domestic landscape. Made in flexible polyurethane,...
Polystyrene
Buddy No_003 Sculpture by AOAO
Located in Geneve, CH
Buddy No_003 sculpture by AOAO Dimensions: W 11 x D 16 x H 36 cm Materials: Ceramic Bisque Color options available upon request. The idea was born after deciding to reconnect w...
Ceramic
Note Sculpture by Twenty Second Factory
Located in Geneve, CH
Note Sculpture by Twenty Second Factory Created by Alexander Volosenko Dimensions: D 16 x W 36 x H 122 cm Materials: Wood. Founded in 2017 by Bogdan Kryvosheya, a creative director ...
Wood
Buddy No_002 Sculpture by AOAO
Located in Geneve, CH
Buddy No_002 Sculpture by AOAO Dimensions: W 23 x D 28 x H 30 cm Materials: Ceramic Bisque Color options available upon request. The idea was born after deciding to reconnect with my family and my grandfather – a sculptor artist. Learning to sculpt and being a designer compelled me to combine these two mediums and use their best values. Experimenting with the functionality of sculpture and the meaning of furniture led me to create the collection. Studio AOAO is an interdisciplinary studio combining art and design. It was created by Alicja Strzyzynska and Onur Iseri in Amsterdam in 2020. “We specialise in making sculptural pieces by experimenting with the functionality of sculpture and the meaning of furniture. In our works, we focus on the emotional connection between the object and the user. All of our work seeks the experience of intimacy and the metaphysical bond between personal interaction and meaningful narrative. Through sculptural value and reflective design, we aim to create pieces that last for generations and help reduce environmental waste.” The inspiration to sculpt came from Alicja’s roots, her grandfather – an artist sculptor. Alicja completed Masters of Arts Degree in Product and Visual Communication Design at Warsaw Academy of Fine Arts and finished her bachelor degree in Interior Architecture. Alicja previously worked in Tokyo and Amsterdam in architectural design studios. Onur completed his business studies in Japan and worked in digital design & marketing as well as teaching in Tokyo. The studio’s first collection debuted at Rossana Orlandi Gallery during Milan Design Week 2021. The studio currently collaborates with RO Gallery...
Ceramic
Rare 1986 Limited Edition Gufram Multipli Cactus, Signed & Numbered 1257 of 2000
By Guido Drocco and Franco Mello, Gufram Furniture
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A rare and highly collectible limited edition Gufram 'Cactus' coat / hat rack sculpture designed by Guido Drocco and Franco Mello, part of the legendary Italian Radical Design and Po...
Polystyrene
Sculture Domestiche by Imperfettolab
Located in Geneve, CH
Sculture Domestiche by Imperfettolab 2006 Dimensions: D 20 x W 20 x H 156 cm Materials: Resin These sculptures are born from the meticulous processing of the resin. Decorative ...
Resin
