Studio B.B.P.R. Lounge Chairs in Burgundy Red Leather and Oak
Attributed to Studio B.B.P.R., armchairs, leather, oak, brass, Italy, circa 1950
These two armchairs, attributed to the Italian architecture and design collective B.B.P.R. and dating from around 1950, offer a fascinating insight into the postwar European search for formal clarity and material integrity. Their form is defined by a strict geometric vocabulary – rational in composition yet expressive in detail. The structure is assertively angular, with every element – armrest, leg, support – exemplifying the hallmark style of BBPR. Closer inspection reveals a nuanced approach to woodworking: the carved deepening and gently concave front edge of the armrests, the splayed legs with their subtle backward inclination, and the precisely rectilinear finish of key wooden elements all evoke the group’s architectural language. The oak frame maintains a crisp silhouette with sharp, confident transitions, suggesting a rigorously thought-through structural logic. Each connection reads as intentional, grounded in BBPR’s modernist belief that ornamentation should be subordinate to construction. The leather introduces a contrasting tone and a subtle richness that plays off the wood’s golden grain. On the reverse of the backrest, the brass studs add a linear punctuation. Altogether, the chairs feel composed and robust but not heavy, with a sculptural quality that is especially clear in profile. The angled geometry and interplay of planes exemplify B.B.P.R.’s architectural sensibility and refined approach to proportion and material.
Biography
Studio B.B.P.R. was an Italian architectural partnership founded in Milan in 1932 by Gianluigi Banfi (1910-1945), Lodovico Barbiano di Belgiojoso (1909-2004), Enrico Peressutti (1908-1976) and Ernesto Nathan Rogers (1909-1969) who had studied at the Politecnico di Milano. B.B.P.R. was thus an acronym formed from the first letters of their family names. The architects found each other in their opposition to fascism in Italy in the 1930s and 1940s during Mussolini's autocratic regime. The architects therefore believed in developing a style that would have no references to contemporary politics. During the Second World War, they all joined the resistance. However, Rogers, a Jew, fled to Switzerland and both Belgiojoso and Banfi were deported to the Mauthausen concentration camp in Austria, where Banfi died in 1945. Despite the immense loss of Banfi, their architectural practice continued in the same name as before the war. Especially during the 1950s, they created many of their great projects. With their designs, they strongly reacted against the International Style with its rectilinear forms and taut plane surfaces that have been completely stripped of applied ornamentation. Instead, the group enriched their buildings with medieval references. For B.B.P.R., their philosophy on art and architecture is somewhat between tradition and modernism; their use of post-beam structures and modular elements parallels with the constructive thinking of modern architects. However, as modernism rejects the existence of historical forms, B.B.P.R. reinterprets history's heritage and continues with respect for the work of their predecessors. Ernesto Nathan Rogers referred to it as “preesistenze ambientali” (the pre-existing environment) and adopt a “caso per caso” (case by case) interpretation to work with, instead of against, the surroundings. One of their well-known designs is the creation of the Torre Velasca in Milan, with strong references to medieval architecture. The architects were also frequently employed to create interior spaces altogether with furniture designs.
Kindly note that the chairs are in good, used condition. The leather contains a few wear marks. For further details, we encourage you to reach out to our team of design specialists.
The listed price is per item.
These two armchairs, attributed to the Italian architecture and design collective B.B.P.R. and dating from around 1950, offer a fascinating insight into the postwar European search for formal clarity and material integrity. Their form is defined by a strict geometric vocabulary – rational in composition yet expressive in detail. The structure is assertively angular, with every element – armrest, leg, support – exemplifying the hallmark style of BBPR. Closer inspection reveals a nuanced approach to woodworking: the carved deepening and gently concave front edge of the armrests, the splayed legs with their subtle backward inclination, and the precisely rectilinear finish of key wooden elements all evoke the group’s architectural language. The oak frame maintains a crisp silhouette with sharp, confident transitions, suggesting a rigorously thought-through structural logic. Each connection reads as intentional, grounded in BBPR’s modernist belief that ornamentation should be subordinate to construction. The leather introduces a contrasting tone and a subtle richness that plays off the wood’s golden grain. On the reverse of the backrest, the brass studs add a linear punctuation. Altogether, the chairs feel composed and robust but not heavy, with a sculptural quality that is especially clear in profile. The angled geometry and interplay of planes exemplify B.B.P.R.’s architectural sensibility and refined approach to proportion and material.
Biography
Studio B.B.P.R. was an Italian architectural partnership founded in Milan in 1932 by Gianluigi Banfi (1910-1945), Lodovico Barbiano di Belgiojoso (1909-2004), Enrico Peressutti (1908-1976) and Ernesto Nathan Rogers (1909-1969) who had studied at the Politecnico di Milano. B.B.P.R. was thus an acronym formed from the first letters of their family names. The architects found each other in their opposition to fascism in Italy in the 1930s and 1940s during Mussolini's autocratic regime. The architects therefore believed in developing a style that would have no references to contemporary politics. During the Second World War, they all joined the resistance. However, Rogers, a Jew, fled to Switzerland and both Belgiojoso and Banfi were deported to the Mauthausen concentration camp in Austria, where Banfi died in 1945. Despite the immense loss of Banfi, their architectural practice continued in the same name as before the war. Especially during the 1950s, they created many of their great projects. With their designs, they strongly reacted against the International Style with its rectilinear forms and taut plane surfaces that have been completely stripped of applied ornamentation. Instead, the group enriched their buildings with medieval references. For B.B.P.R., their philosophy on art and architecture is somewhat between tradition and modernism; their use of post-beam structures and modular elements parallels with the constructive thinking of modern architects. However, as modernism rejects the existence of historical forms, B.B.P.R. reinterprets history's heritage and continues with respect for the work of their predecessors. Ernesto Nathan Rogers referred to it as “preesistenze ambientali” (the pre-existing environment) and adopt a “caso per caso” (case by case) interpretation to work with, instead of against, the surroundings. One of their well-known designs is the creation of the Torre Velasca in Milan, with strong references to medieval architecture. The architects were also frequently employed to create interior spaces altogether with furniture designs.
Kindly note that the chairs are in good, used condition. The leather contains a few wear marks. For further details, we encourage you to reach out to our team of design specialists.
The listed price is per item.
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Studio B.B.P.R. Lounge Chairs in Burgundy Red Leather and Oak
Sale price$6,450.00
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