Date: 1966
Artist: Giuseppe Raimondi
Brand: Gufram
Colors: Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Gray, Blue
Material: Polyurethane
Dimensions: L 166 x D 65 x H 68 cm
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Placed on the ground but ready to be moved elsewhere, Alvar is a structural polyurethane foam recliner that preserves the lightness and versatility of the sixties. After forty years he has certainly matured in spirit, but deep down in his soul he keeps his hippie attitude alive.
Alvar is one of the first products with which Gufram faced the challenge of producing modern furniture as opposed to the status quo of those in the Mannerist style. Alvar is proof of the success of this confrontation that had begun in 1968, finally ended in favor of products like these, which were already then dynamic and fresh and had organic lines, free of expected flourishes.
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Giuseppe Raimondie graduated in Turin in 1967. Thanks to his research in the field of experimental design and the expressive possibilities of new materials, he was creative director of the Gufram company from 1966 to 1970.
The innovative pieces created by Giuseppe Raimondi, as well as his leadership, helped give the company international recognition. In 1966, with the artist Ugo Nespolo, he created a table with matching chairs for Gufram Margherita, then the Alvar (1967) and Mozza (1968) armchairs. Subsequently, his curiosity for new materials led him to create a series of mirrors, tables and lamps that play with the reflection of shapes and light. He therefore also worked in lighting, as well as in the fields of textiles, interior decoration and ceramics. In 1970, with others, he founded the A.ba.co studio and later opened a studio of his own in Turin.
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Gufram is an Italian furniture manufacturer based in Barolo (Piedmont region). Founded in 1966 by the Gugliermetto brothers, Gufram, acronym for "Gugliermetto Fratelli Arredamenti Moderni", takes the form of a creative laboratory: they combine their knowledge of local craftsmanship with emerging architects and artists of the time. Their sculptured art objects revolutionized the aesthetics of 1960s furniture. From 1965, Gufram followed the artistic direction of designer Giuseppe Raimondi, who associated the company with emerging artists and architects of the time.
They study new choices of materials and mainly choose polyurethane foam to pad and structure their sculptural creations. Polyurethane will become their trademark. In addition to mastering the processing of flexible polyurethane, Gufram has developed and patented a special finish: Guflac®, the true essence of the company's artisanal spirit: this special and unique paint job makes surfaces more uniform, consistent and elastic . Soft, elegant shapes are thus created, innovative shapes that would otherwise be impossible to cover.
Gufram icons, regardless of the collection they are part of, are made by sculpting flexible polyurethane foam which is then finished or decorated by hand with the Guflac® backing.
Their creations, in the wake of pop art, are anchored in the avant-garde movement of the 1960s.
In 1968, Gufram presented its products under the name Multipli: industrially reproduced art objects in limited edition. Gufram then enjoyed considerable success with the public and the international press. Among their most remarkable creations: the Bocca sofa, originally designed by Salvador Dali, the Cactus coat rack, the majestic Pratone seat or even more recently the grotesque stools in the shape of a tombstone The End from the Toiletpaper collection, or the Broken Mirror imagined by Snarkitecture.
These “domestic sculptures” now appear in the most beautiful homes and the most renowned museums in the world.
The Gufram company was bought in 2012 by entrepreneur Sandra Vezza and her son Charley as artistic director. They were able to breathe new life into the company, notably on the occasion of the company's 50th anniversary celebrations in 2016 but also with new collaborations such as that with Moschino “Moschino kissed Gufram”.
