Fibreglass stacking chair, ‘Selene’ designed by Vico Magistretti.
Identifier
FPF480
Title
Fibreglass stacking chair, ‘Selene’ designed by Vico Magistretti.
Date
Designed in 1968, manufactured from 1968
Description
A fibreglass stacking chair, ‘Selene’ designed by Vico Magistretti and manufactured by Artemede.
Full Description
This stacking chair is made of compression moulded fibreglass, designed to be moulded in one piece in a material which is both light and strong. The chair has curved edges which add strength, and the legs are S-shaped in section to achieve the necessary rigidity. With the colour already mixed into the material the moulding process produced a complete chair with a smooth, glossy finish ready for use, with just the feet needing to be clipped on. The chair was originally manufactured in a range of colours including green, orange, maroon and white.
Designed in 1968 by Vico Magistretti and made by Artemede, Italy, the Selene chair was innovative in the use of this material and at the cutting edge of furniture design during a period when designers and manufacturers were eager to push the boundaries in form and structure. Moulded materials were seen by many as the route to high-volume, affordable furniture which involved mechanised processes rather than the more traditional mix of woodworking machines and craft skills.
Vico Magistretti (1920-2006) was an Italian industrial designer, known for both his furniture designs and his architecture projects. He graduated from the Polytechnic of Milan in 1945 and worked with a number of furniture manufacturers including Cassina, Artemede and Knoll. He received Compasso d’Oro awards in 1967 and 1969 for his design work and from 1980-2000 was a visiting lecturer at the Royal College of Art in London (Fiell, 1993).
The Selene chair was shown in the Italian Design Exhibition at the Hallmark Gallery in New York in 1968. Examples of the chair are held in the permanent collections of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London and the Museum of Modern Art, New York.
Designed in 1968 by Vico Magistretti and made by Artemede, Italy, the Selene chair was innovative in the use of this material and at the cutting edge of furniture design during a period when designers and manufacturers were eager to push the boundaries in form and structure. Moulded materials were seen by many as the route to high-volume, affordable furniture which involved mechanised processes rather than the more traditional mix of woodworking machines and craft skills.
Vico Magistretti (1920-2006) was an Italian industrial designer, known for both his furniture designs and his architecture projects. He graduated from the Polytechnic of Milan in 1945 and worked with a number of furniture manufacturers including Cassina, Artemede and Knoll. He received Compasso d’Oro awards in 1967 and 1969 for his design work and from 1980-2000 was a visiting lecturer at the Royal College of Art in London (Fiell, 1993).
The Selene chair was shown in the Italian Design Exhibition at the Hallmark Gallery in New York in 1968. Examples of the chair are held in the permanent collections of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London and the Museum of Modern Art, New York.
Condition
Good, with some light scratching.
Materials
Fibreglass.
Physical Dimensions
H. 74
W. 47
D. 44
W. 47
D. 44
Provenance
Purchased for the Collection c.2010 for £50.
Notes
Selene Chair | Magistretti | V&A Explore The Collections
ARTEMIDE BY VICO MAGISTRETTI SELENE RED STACKING DINING CHAIRS, 1960'S, SET OF 4 | REHAUS
Charlotte and Peter Fiell, Modern Chairs, Taschen, 1993, pp.109 and 146.
