Mezzadro Stool

Achille CastiglioniWW-1957-135603

1957·Enameled steel, chrome-plated steel, beech·53.4 × 47 × 58.5 cm (21 × 18 1/2 × 23 in.)

<p>Acting out of both practical and intellectual motives, Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni designed the Mezzadro Stool by bolting a tractor seat to a chrome and wood base. They were also inspired by the readymades of early 20th-century artist Marcel Duchamp, which combined preexisting objects into inventive constructions with new uses. By engaging in similar acts of appropriation, designers were able to create surprise and novelty with forms made from found materials.</p>

Catalogue

Year: 1957
Medium: Enameled steel, chrome-plated steel, beech
Dimensions: 53.4 × 47 × 58.5 cm (21 × 18 1/2 × 23 in.)
Collection: Art Institute of Chicago
Artist: Achille Castiglioni

Artist

Achille Castiglioni

Sculpture

Achille Castiglioni was an Italian architect and designer. He is known for his furniture, lighting, radiograms and other objects, many of which are considered icons of post-war Italian design. As a professor of design, he advised his students "If you are not curious, forget it. If you are not interested in others, what they do and how they act, then being a designer is not the right job for you."

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