Sofo Living Room Set by Superstudio for Poltronova, 1966

Radical design collective Superstudio was founded in Florence in 1966 by Italian architects Adolfo Natalini (born in Pistoia in 1941) and Cristiano Toraldo di Francia (born in Florence in 1941)—later joined by Gian Piero Frassinelli, Alessandro Magris, Roberto Magris, and Alessandro Poli. Disillusioned with modernism’s spurious optimism (and its attendant consumerism), Superstudio created photo collages, films, exhibitions, and more that advocated for a simpler lifestyle less reliant on technology and man-made objects. 

Superstudio first came to prominence when they participated in the anti-consumerist Superarchitettura exhibition in Pistoia in 1966, along with like-minded radical design group, Archizoom—co-founded by Andrea Branzi (b. 1938), Gilberto Corretti (b. 1941), Paolo Deganello (b. 1940), and Massimo Morozzi (1941-2014). The second Superarchitettura exhibition the following year in Modena sarcastically presented its manifesto as follows: “Superarchitecture is the architecture of superproduction, of superconsumption, of superinduction to superconsumption, of the supermarket, of superman and super petrol."

While Superstudio never built any architectural structures, their provocative ideas and visual vocabulary—disseminated through publications like Casabella and several international exhibitions—went on to influence generations of architects and designers, including Pritzker Prize winners Rem Koolhaas (b. 1944) and Zaha Hadid (1950-2016).

In 1972, Superstudio was invited by legendary architect-curator Emilio Ambasz (b. 1943) to participate in Italy: The New Domestic Landscape at New York’s Museum of Modern Art. For this era-defining exhibition, the collective installed their endlessly reflected Microevent/Microenvironment and accompanying short film Supersuperficie, alongside the work of other Italian visionaries like 9999, Archizoom, Gae Aulenti, Mario Bellini, Joe Colombo, Gruppo Strum, Ugo La Pietra, Gaetano Pesce, Alberto Rosselli, Ettore Sottsass, and Marco Zanuso with Richard Sapper. On the heels of the MoMA success, the exhibition Sottsass, Superstudio. Mindscapes toured America from 1973 to 1975. Superstudio also exhibited at the 1978 Venice Biennale.

Superstudio expanded the discourse of architecture through a number of now-iconic designs. The Continuous Monument (1969) is a dystopian vision of the earth covered in a grid-like superstructure; a warning against over-development and overreliance on technological advancements. Other projects advocating for more socially conscious design include Histograms (1968/69), A Catalogue of Villa (1968/70), The Twelve Ideal Cities (1971), Salvages of Italian Historic Centers (1972), and The Fundamentals Acts: Life, Education, Ceremony, Love, Death (1971/73).

Despite their anti-design stance, Superstudio designed a handful of design objects, most notably the starkly geometric, gridded-laminate-covered Quaderna Tables for Zanotta (1970), which won the Golden Medal at the M.I.A International Exhibition in 1971. Other objects include SOFO Sofa and Gherpe Lamp for Poltronova (both 1968) and Lambda Table (1972) and Teso Table (1973) both for Giovannetti. Some Superstudio designs are still in production with Centro Studi Poltronova and Zanotta. 

Superstudio disbanded toward the end of 1970s. Natalini founded Natalini Architetti, mainly designing buildings in the Netherlands. Toraldo di Francia continued to design for companies like Anonima Castelli, Breda, Calzolari, Flos, Giovannetti, Pica, Poltronova, and Zanotta.

In the 21^st century, interest in Superstudio and other radical designers has resurged, evidenced by a new round of exhibitions: Superstudio: Life Without Objects at London’s Design Museum (2003); Environments & Counter Environments at Chicago’s Graham Foundation (2013); Superstudio. The Secret Life of the Continuous Monument at the Venice Biennale (2014), and Superstudio 50 at Rome’s MAXXI (2016), among others. 

Superstudio’s work can be found in the collections of several international museums, such as the Museum of Modern Art (New York), Israel Museum (Jerusalem), Deutsches Architekturmuseum (Frankfurt), Centre Pompidou (Paris), and MAXXI (Rome).

* Images courtesy of Centro Studi Poltronova, Graham Foundation, MAXXI, and Zanotta

Italian furniture manufacturing company Poltronova was founded just north of Florence by Sergio Cammilli in 1957. Cammili had a background in art, and many believe it was the founder’s remarkable openness to bold creative expression that led the company to become one of the most daring in 20th-century Italian design.

Soon after launching, Cammilli was introduced to young designer Ettore Sottsass, who was at the time designing ceramics for Bitossi, also located in the region around Florence. By 1958, Sottsass was hired to be Poltronova’s artistic director.

In the early years, Poltronova concentrated on producing stylish, modernist furniture, often made in wood and sharing many features in common with midcentury designs from Scandinavia. Both Cammilli and Sottsass, however, had ambitions to do something more experimental.

In 1966, Cammilli and Sottsass visited the Superarchitettura exhibition, presented at Galleria Jolly 2 in Pistoia. This era-defining project was organized by Superstudio and Archizoom—two counterculture student groups from the University of Florence’s Faculty of Architect; it’s now seen to be a landmark moment in the development of Radical Design movement. Cammilli and Sottsass immediately changed the direction of the Poltronova, began working with young, iconoclastic designers, and helped to usher in the postmodern era in design.

Notably, Archizoom designed the company’s new factory in the 1960s and programed events at the headquarters, which included a poetry reading and meditation workshop led by poet Allen Ginsberg.

Poltronova produced a number of iconic designs, such as Mario Cerruli’s Mobili Nella Valle Series (1966); Archizoom’s Superonda Sofa (1967) and Mies Lounge  (1969); Superstudio’s Guerpe Lamp (1967); Ettore Sottsass’s Ultrafragola (1970); and De Pas D’Urbino & Lomazzi’s Joe Chair (1970), to name a few. Other major designers who have designed for Poltronova include Gae Aulenti, Angelo Mangiarotti, Giovanni Michelucci, Paolo Portoghesi, and Massimo Vignelli. Many Poltronova works were included in MoMA’s landmark 1972 exhibition Italy: The New Domestic Landscape.

After Cammilli and Sottsass left Poltronova in the 1970s, the company’s management changed hands a number of times, and the focus switched to producing more commercial collections. By the mid-1980s, Poltronova was struggling to survive. Thankfully Roberta Meloni, trained architect, stepped in to advocate for the preservation of the Poltronova archive. She acquired a managing interest in the 1990s, and in the new millennium she was named CEO. Today Poltronova’s legacy has been secured through Meloni’s company Centro Studi Poltronova, a multifaceted organization that manages archives, promotes study and public exhibitions, and produces iconic Poltronova designs on a made-to-order basis.

You can find our interview with Ms. Meloni here.

 * All images courtesy of Centro Studi Poltronova