VICO MAGISTRETTI ( Milan, 1920 - 2006). Three-seater... Lot 11

VICO MAGISTRETTI ( Milan, 1920 - 2006). Three-seater sofa, Maralunga model. Design 1973, for Cassina. Iron and steel frame, upholstered in fabric. Some stains on the upholstery. Signs of wear and tear. Measurements: 65 x 240 x 80 cm. Legend has it that the Maralunga by Vico Magistretti, arose from a monumental anger of Cesare Cassina, the industrialist who had commissioned him to make a sofa as comfortable as possible. The master of industrial design came up with a prototype that was apparently too rigid. Cassina, in a fit of frustration, punched the back of the sofa, which he overcame and leaned forward. "Right, great, I think it's perfect like that," Magistretti replied. He wasn't pretending or humouring his client, but being completely honest: by bending the backrest, the sofa acquired the precise movement to make it perfect. The designer incorporated an internal mechanism in the backrest and armrests that allowed them to be swivelled inwards by a simple bicycle chain and called Cassina again. This time, the reaction was different: the Maralunga was born, one of the most famous sofas of the 20th century, a landmark of furniture design and, of course, the model that marked a before and after in the industry. Vico Magistretti was an Italian industrial designer, dedicated to furniture and architecture. He graduated from the Milan Polytechnic in 1945, and became a follower of Ernesto Nathan Rogers. During the 1950s he devoted himself to the design of mass-produced furniture. Some of his lamps are famous, such as the so-called Eclisse. Some of his designs can be found in important museums in Europe, the United States and Japan. The MoMA in New York houses objects by Magistretti in its permanent collection.