Date: 1974
Artist: Piero Gilardi
Brand: Gufram
Color: Red
Material: polyurethane
Dimensions: L 97 x width 66 x H 36 cm
Availability: 3 weeks
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Iconical Collection
Finish: Guflac Ultra
Weight: 13kg
Handmade in Italy
LIMITED EDITION 1/500
“No longer a rock or natural stony ground, but a block already contaminated by the hand of man, who began to polish the shiny material. To the observing eye it has enormous weight...but to the touch it has a light, springy mass. It provides a three-dimensional trompe-l'oeil effect, intended to induce a playful experience even in the space of everyday domestic life.”
cit. Piero Giraldi
To make it look like rock, the polyurethane block is entirely cut by hand; this is why each Massolo is a unique piece
In this way, the author describes Massolo, as being able at first glance to resemble a heavy block of porphyry, engraved and polished on the surface. It turns out to be a rock that, thanks to the polyurethane it is made of, loses weight and can be moved with ease. This is another paradox of Gufram's design, which suggests a playful object capable of dematerializing a heavy volume into a funny story. A fun visual and tactile trap for guests, which can be used as a coffee table, character seating or displayed as a multiple work of art by one of the most original Italian artists.
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Piero Gilardi was born in Turin in 1942 and studied at the School of Art and the Accademia Albertina in Turin.
A pioneer of technological art, Gilardi was one of the protagonists of New Realism and European Pop Art in the 1960s. In 1963, he held his first private exhibition "Machines For the Future"; two years later, he designed the first polyurethane foam pieces for Gufram and began exhibiting his works in several cultural hubs around the world - including Paris, Brussels, Cologne, Hamburg, Amsterdam and New York.
From 1968, he adhered to the new artistic trends of the time: Arte Povera, Land Art, Anti-form Art, and collaborated in the production of several international magazines.
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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”.
