Luca Scacchetti, Guglielmo Ulrich: 1904-1977, Milan, 2009, illustrated p. 362
Catalogue Essay
Three Italian Benches
The following three lots are bench designs by Italian architects, produced between the 1930s-1950s, and each example illustrates their individualistic approach. The earliest of these works, designed in the 1930s by Guglielmo Ulrich, is characteristic of the architect’s penchant for sophisticated organic lines, enhanced by his use of dark-stained and refined woods. The Milanese elite, who admired inventive designs with superlative craftsmanship, favoured Ulrich's work, but equally the decorative work by his contemporary Paolo Buffa was much sought after. The decorative ribbon and wave pattern featured on the present corner banquette, designed in the 1940s, is characteristic of Buffa’s repertoire of articulated lines. The banquette’s decoration, which continues across its curved frame, represents a skilful union of design and execution in Buffa’s work. Although Ico Parisi preferred not to categorise himself solely as an architect, the present pair of benches convey an architectonic harmony, featuring a more streamlined form that exemplifies the modern ‘Italian style’ of the 1950s.