For eight years, Italian architecture and design studio Archizoom Associati challenged modernism and aligned itself with what we now call Radical Design, an avant-garde art movement established largely in Florence that produced exuberant conceptual furnishings and objects that were neither practical nor very commercial. Through iconic works like the Sanremo floor lamp and the Mies lounge chair, Archizoom and other proponents of the movement protested functionalism and explored form, color and material in a way that countered the existing social order.
Founded in 1966 by University of Florence students Andrea Branzi, Gilberto Corretti, Massimo Morozzi and Paolo Deganello, Archizoom questioned mass consumerism and the validity of rapid postwar modernization in their native country. In their architecture initiatives, interiors, installations, furniture and more, Archizoom's members were pioneers of postmodernism — future Memphis Group cofounder Ettore Sottsass was also part of the Radical Design movement — and alongside likeminded collectives such as Superstudio, Ziggurat and UFO, Archizoom drew on Pop art, Minimalism and Arte Povera to expand upon the expressive potential of design. Branzi and his peers were also deeply influenced by the visionary work of London architecture collective Archigram — so much so that the group’s name is inclusive of Zoom, which is the name of a zine published by the British collective.
In Archizoom’s No-Stop City — an unbuilt architecture project — the urban area is stripped bare, a featureless monochromatic expanse that sees built structures meeting nothing more than the basic needs of human existence. The group’s Mies lounge chair — a tribute to early modernist architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe — was developed for Poltronova and hardly resembles a chair at all. It is not until one sits down that the detached bench seat combines with the backrest and becomes a full seat. The human body bonds the pieces together to make a chair that is surprisingly functional — and even compact.
The Radical Design movement is experiencing something of a renaissance, and Archizoom Associati’s works featured prominently in 2020’s “Radical: Italian Design 1965-1985” at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. The collective’s designs were given a global stage in the classic 1972 exhibition “Italy : The New Domestic Landscape” at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, but most of the groups associated with Radical Design dissolved by the mid-1970s. The Mies lounge chair is held in MoMA’s permanent collection.
Find vintage Archizoom Associati seating, lighting and tables on 1stDibs.
Superonda sofa, Archizoom & Associati, Poltronova 1970s
By Archizoom Associati, Poltronova
Located in Milano, Lombardia
Superonda sofa, Archizoom & Associati, Poltronova 1970s. Superonda is distinguished by its bold absence of a body. At the center of its design are two sinuous waves, precisely sculpt...
Faux Leather, Foam
$10,725 / item
H 39.38 in W 94.49 in D 14.18 in
Poltronova SUPERONDA DRESSING Dynamic Sofa by Archizoom Associati
By Poltronova, Lella & Massimo Vignelli for Casigliani
Located in Brooklyn, NY
In 2017 Poltronova pays tribute to Superonda –an anti–design iconic piece of furniture that fully preserves its outrageously playful nature– by calling on all members of the Radical ...
Fabric
$6,985 / item
H 39.38 in W 94.49 in D 14.18 in
Poltronova SUPERONDA Dynamic Sofa in Red by Archizoom Associati
By Poltronova, Lella & Massimo Vignelli for Casigliani
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Designed in 1967 by the Florentine Radical group Archizoom, this was the first sofa without a conventional frame. It is composed of two waves made from a polyurethane block cut into ...
Leather
Poltronova SAFARI Sofa by Archizoom Associati
By Poltronova, Archizoom Associati
Located in Brooklyn, NY
The Safari sofa is a multiple seat with the profile of the backrest shaped like a series of waves, one gathers in the central void, accessed through an opening, as in a sort of tribal ritual. The piece of furniture consists of four pieces of two different types [two armchair modules and two sofa modules]. The Safari sofa was put into production for the first time by Poltronova in 1968. The experimental fibreglass technique was used for the structure. For the seat and backrest upholstery, Archizoom chose a printed animal pattern fabric with a Leopard print. The same pattern is used for the polyurethane foam rug placed between the seats. The choice of the leopard pattern was a cultured reference to the work “Bedroom ensemble” [1963] by Claes Oldenburg, master of English Pop Art, and his subsequent “Leopard chair...
Fiberglass
Sofa Sofo Model by Superstudio for Poltronova, Italy
By Superstudio, Poltronova
Located in Asti, Piemonte
Sofa in polyurethane with base in molded plastic and upholstery in cotton and viscose. The Sofo is a seat to be placed in a row, like a train, or to be stacked to build solid colored mountains. It is just a block, obtained by means of an “S” cut, from a polyurethane cube, covered with a fabric crossed by two large lines. It is the result of a very simple operation, without waste, neither material nor thought. It is presented as a compact, abstract and colorful object...
Cotton, Plastic
$4,091Sale Price|20% Off
H 27.56 in W 92.13 in D 34.26 in
Divano Superonda di Archizoom per Poltronova Anni 70 rosso
By Archizoom Associati, Poltronova
Located in Milano, IT
Iconico divano componibile, imbottitura in espanso, rivestimento in tessuto plastificato nella tonalità del rosso.
Fabric
$9,900
H 15.75 in W 94.89 in D 44.89 in
Upholstered “Superonda” Sofa by Archizoom for Poltronova, Italy 1967
By Poltronova, Archizoom Associati
Located in Utrecht, NL
Throughout the 20th century, Italian design managed to distinguish itself. The 1960s was a boom time in Italy especially, a decade of mass production and innovation that signaled the...
Fabric
$10,725 / item
H 39.38 in W 94.49 in D 14.18 in
Poltronova SUPERONDA POIS Dynamic Sofa by Archizoom Associati
By Poltronova, Lella & Massimo Vignelli for Casigliani
Located in Brooklyn, NY
In 2017 Poltronova pays tribute to Superonda –an anti–design iconic piece of furniture that fully preserves its outrageously playful nature– by calling on all members of the Radical ...
Leather
$28,376 / item
H 33.47 in W 88.59 in D 33.86 in
Una, Articolo Indeterminativo Chaise Longue by Secondome Edizioni
Located in Geneve, CH
Una, Articolo Indeterminativo Chaise Longue by Secondome Edizioni Limited Edition Of 9 Pieces + 3 A.P. Designer: Stefano Marolla. Dimensions: D 86 x W 225 x H 85 cm. Materials: Santo...
Wood
$46,917
H 27.56 in W 102.37 in D 84.65 in
'Safari' Mid-Century Italian Sofa by Archizoom Associati for Poltronova
By Archizoom Associati
Located in London, GB
A 'Safari lounge sofa. Italy, c1968. Made by Archizoom Associati for Poltronova. White lacquered fibreglass, in four sectional elements....
Fiberglass
