In Urano Palma’s designs it is often hard to separate sculpture from furniture. The artistic avant-garde movements have evidently left a mark on the Italian designer’s present high-back chair. The present work, while looking like a chair, falls in the sculpture category.

The Italian designer very seldom names his works, presumably they are intended to speak for themselves, which, they do. This hand finished, raw wood sculpture is the definition of eye-catching, but not in the flashy, kitschy way. The message that Palma intends to portray is that of a poetic world, lending an innovative and sensitive contribution to the cultural image of the habitat as “Art of Living”.‎ The hand carved wood throughout the work has an amazing texture, which is very apparent on the high back. The pattern is completely unique, and does not confine itself to strict symmetry.

This sculpture communicates with art, by means of visions and emotions: a quality that justifies its meaningful presence in any space. With its slender presence it enters dwellings not merely to be looked at, but also to interact in the life and with the needs of people; not only to decorate but also to animate. Urano Palma was a peculiar figure in the history of Italian design from the sixties.‎ As exemplified by this creation, he strived to renew the art of living with a modern feeling for the old.‎

SOLD

Condition:

In good vintage condition. Wear consistent with age and use. The wood has some chips and scratches.

Dimensions:

13.58 in W x 13.58 in D x 68.7 in H; Seat height 15.35 in

34.5 cm W x 34.5 cm D x 174.5 cm H; Seat height 39 cm

About the Designer:

Urano Palma was born in Varese in 1936. After wandering through many Italian cities, careful to the artistic avant-garde movements, he settled in Milan, where he had the chance to meet great artists, such as Lucio Fontana.

During his more than fifty years career, Urano Palma held exhibitions in Germany (Ulm, Munich, Düsseldorf) in France, Spain, in the USA and even in South Korea, where he was chosen together with other eight sculptors to represent Italy for the Seoul Olympic Games. With a work made of cast iron Palma’s creation for the Olympics was adored, and at the moment it is permanently exhibited at the Museum of Contemporary Art. In Korea, precisely in Busan, he also created an eight-meter-high brass work, made for the International Exhibition of Art organised by the South Korean government.

From 1960, Urano Palma completely devoted himself to design, creating unique furniture pieces that balance on the verge of sculpture and furniture. He died in 2010, leaving behind some of the most recognisable Italian design and furniture pieces. ~H.