Casati Gallery: Visions of Italian Design 
10 December 2021
Casati Gallery: Visions of Italian Design 
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Afra and Tobia Scarpa

Prototype Cisonio bookcase

Poggi
Italy, 1967
marble, oak 72½ h × 121 w × 12½ d in (184 × 307 × 32 cm)
estimate: $20,000–30,000
result: $16,250
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This prototype Cisonio produced by Poggi features marble uprights and five rows of oak shelves. The final production model was produced by Skipper and featured brown marble uprights with green marble shelves. Few examples of the Cisonio were made.
provenance: Acquired directly from Poggi
literature: Nientedimeno, Nothing Less: The Strength of Female Design, Pansera and Chirico, pg. 33 illustrates this example

This work will ship from Wright in Chicago, Illinois.

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Visions of Italian Design

For more than 20 years Ugo Alfano Casati has been bringing fresh and interesting modern and contemporary Italian design to market. From rare and custom works by Italy’s most notable architects to classic forms and more recent limited edition works from the most radical and forward thinking minds, Casati’s vision of Italian Design is one of quality, beauty and historical significance. 

An Italian himself, Casati grew up in Milan. He worked for Alessi and Bodum in Paris before relocating to Chicago where he opened Casati Gallery to bring Italian design to the American market. He focused on Italian designs of the post-war era to present day, developing relationships with artists, designers, foundations and archives, adding valuable context and introducing new scholarship in the field alongside his elegant offerings. 

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Image by Ian Ace Photography

In 2007, Casati and Wright teamed together to create a book dedicated to the designs of Angelo Mangiarotti. The award-winning publication, featured full-color images and was published in English and Italian introducing the innovative designer to the broader market. 

Casati’s interest in fine craftsmanship and originality soon grew to include emerging design and he began to produce editions by makers whose aesthetics complimented his Italian sensibility: Jonathan Nesci, Philippe Nigro, among others. 

This special curated auction celebrates Casati Gallery and marks the beginning of Casati Projects, a new phase for Ugo Alfano Casati who endeavors to bring renewed energy and experience to the field of Italian design through curatorial and consulting services for discerning collectors and institutions across the globe.

Tobia Scarpa b. 1935

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Tobia Scarpa has had a widely successful career with artistic outputs ranging from Murano glass and postmodern furniture to lighting and architecture. His design uses new technologies while elegantly maintaining form and function. He was born in Venice in 1935 to architect and glassmaker Carlo Scarpa whose stylistic influence would become prevalent in Tobia’s work.

While attending the Instituto Universitario di Architettura in Venice he met wife and colleague Afra Bianchin. After graduating in 1957, Scarpa apprenticed at Venini until 1961. Afra and Tobia became an incredible force collaborating on numerous important designs throughout their careers. In 1960 the couple designed and opened their office in her hometown of Montebelluna, Italy. Their most iconic designs include the Bastiano sofa (1961) for Gavina, the Soriana armchair (1968) for Cassina, the Coronado sofa (1966) for B&B Italia among many others for clients such as FLOS and Knoll International.

Auction Results Tobia Scarpa

Afra and Tobia Scarpa

Artona chairs, set of ten

estimate: $15,000–20,000

result: $47,500

Afra and Tobia Scarpa

Prototype Cisonio bookshelf

estimate: $15,000–20,000

result: $15,000

Afra and Tobia Scarpa

Soriana sofa

estimate: $3,000–5,000

result: $14,410

Afra and Tobia Scarpa

Trienelli sofa

estimate: $3,000–4,000

result: $14,400

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