Alessandro Mendini

designed 1979 as part of the Bau.Haus I collection

Art et Industrie, New York, ca. 1983

"Incontri ravvicinati di architettura di Andrea Branzi, Alessandro Mendini, Ettore Sottsass," L'Architettura, August-September 1978, p. 285
Alessandro Mendini, "Per una architettura banale," Casabella, October-November 1978, p. 106
Robert Jensen and Patricia Conway, Ornamentalism:  The New Decorativeness in Architecture & Design, New York, 1982, p. 227
Maria Pia Quarzo Cerina, "Entwürfe der Überschreitung," DU: Die Kunstzeitschrift, Septebmer, 1982, p. 62
Alessandro Mendini, Progetto Infelice, Milan, 1983, p. 132
Andrea Branzi, The Hot House:  Italian New Wave Design, Cambridge, MA, 1984, p. 126
Barbara Radice, Memphis, London, 1984, p. 24
Albrecht Bangert, Italienisches Möbeldesign, Munich, 1985, p. 63
Guia Sambonet, Alchimia:  1977-1987, Turin, 1986, p. 26
Kazuko Sato, Alchimia:  Italienisches Design der Gegenwart, Berlin, 1988, p. 17 (for a poster of the Bau.Haus I collection)
Volker Fischer, ed., Design Now:  Industry or Art, Munich, 1989, p. 153
Charlotte and Peter Fiell, Modern Furniture Classics Since 1945, Washington, D.C., 1991, p. 133 and back cover
Alexander von Vegesack, ed., Czech Cubism:  Architecture, Furniture, and Decorative Arts, 1910-1925, Princeton, 1992, p. 110 (for a drawing of the sofa and a sofa in the Vitra collection)
Claudia Neumann, Design Directory:  Italy, New York, 1999, p. 259
Charlotte and Peter Fiell, 1000 Chairs, Cologne, 2000, p. 539
Peter Weiss, ed., Alessandro Mendini:  Design and Architecture, Milan, 2001, p. 81 (for a drawing of the sofa)

According to the Atelier Mendini, less than ten of the iconic “Kandissi” sofas have been produced, and seven examples have been well-documented (see listing below).  Each piece varies slightly from the others.  The earlier examples all have flame-stitched Gobelin upholstery.  However, some have leather armrests, while others differ in the placement of the lacquered wood decorative elements.  Two examples were made in the 1990s, one with a geometric “Museum Market” upholstery designed by Alessandro Mendini, and the other with solid red upholstery.

Known “Kandissi” Sofas

 

1.  The Bodi Collection with flame-stitched upholstery (lot 138)

2.  Location unknown, flame-stitched upholstery (fig. 2)

3.  Musée National d’Art Moderne, Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris, flame-stitched upholstery

4.  Vitra Design Museum, Weil am Rhein, flame-stitched upholstery

5.  Vitra Design Museum, Weil am Rhein, unusual monochromatic black frame, flame-stitched upholstery (fig. 1)

6.  Denver Art Museum Collection, later example (1993), original “Museum Market” upholstery (fig. 3)

7.  Atelier Mendini, Milan, later example (1994), solid red upholstery

Sotheby's would like to thank Atelier Mendini for their assistance in cataloguing this lot.

 

Photo captions:

Denver Art Museum Collection: Funds from Estelle R. Wolf, 1994.67

©Vitra Design Museum, Weil am Rhein, Photo: Thomas Dix

Drawing for the "Kandissi"
Courtesy Groninger Museum, Netherlands