Psst: These Secrets Are in Italian
May 27, 2009
“Italy Under the Radar,” a show of 20th-century Italian furniture opening June 3 at Donzella in Manhattan, will focus on one-offs and limited-edition pieces by little-known designers there will be no over-exposed Memphis bookcases or swing-arm Tizio lamps. The exhibition’s 35 obscurities include a 1949 rosewood bar cabinet ($45,000) that Luigi Scremin inlaid with images of goddesses, fruit and lizards; chrome loops that Angelo Brotto suspended over rock crystal on a 1970s table lamp ($7,500); and walnut trestle tables (about $50,000 each) by Giovanni Michelucci, with mismatched tabletop planks that look like worn floorboards. Paul Donzella, the gallery’s owner, said the show is intended for “people who don’t have a spoon-fed, sheep mentality about design, who respond to forms and materials, and don’t need to own a brand name like Prouvé or Nakashima to show how much they know about design.” Through July 11 at Donzella, 17 White Street (Sixth Avenue), (212) 965-8919 or donzella.com.