Afra and Tobia Scarpa are award winning postmodern Italian architects and designers. Their pieces can be found in museums across the United States and Europe, including collections in MoMA and the Louvre Museum.[1] They have collaborated with companies such as B&B Italia, San Lorenzo Silver, and Knoll International. They have won a number of awards such as the Compasso d'Oro in 1969 to the International Forum Design in 1992.[2] Their design work consists of architecture and everyday household items including, furniture, clothing, interior design, art glass. They focused on the technical and aesthetic possibilities of materials in their designs. The couple was greatly influenced by Tobia’s father, Carlo Scarpa, a Venetian architect and designer.
From 1957 to 1961, Tobia worked as a glass designer at the Murano glassworks of Venini, and then in 1960 the two artists opened their own design office in Montebelluna.[4][5] They designed for Gavina (sofa "Bastiano" 1961), and then followed with a series of projects with several other companies. Their more notable works were made for B&B Italia (sofa "Coronado" 1966),[6]Cassina (armchair "Soriana" 1968), and Meritalia (chair "Libert" 1989).
In 1964, they collaborated with Benetton clothing company to design the firm's first textile factory. Afra and Tobia Scarpa have been responsible for the interiors of the company’s Paris, Freiburg, and New York City offices.[5]
In 1973 they designed the "Papillion" lamp for Flos, one of the first lighting designs to use halogen technology.[5] They also worked for Fabbian (lamps "Saturnina" 1998 and "Galeto" 2001), and Veas (metal lamp "Scandola") in the later part of their careers.[1] From their first collaborations as husband and wife in the mid-1950s until the present day, their pieces have incorporated new technologies, while still maintaining history, form, and function.[7]
Afra and Tobia Scarpa have received the Compasso d'Oro in 1969 to the International Forum Design in 1992.[2] Their furniture has been published in magazine articles like L'ŒIL.[8] From 2004 to 2007, the couple collaborated on many restoration projects for historical buildings such as the Palazzo della Ragione in Verona, Italy.[2]
Since 2002, Tobia has taught in the Design Department of the Università Iuav di Venezia in Venice, Italy.[9]
Tobia Scarpa has always believed in design being a profession without a rule book. His timeless creations, including the likes of Fantasma and Foglio, are a true representation of both – his design philosophies and his unmatched mastery over the craft. [10]
Work with Benetton
Their collaboration with Benetton began in 1964, with the design of the firm's first factory. Since then, Afra and Tobia Scarpa have been responsible for all the industrial architecture of the Group. Some of the contributions to Benetton are:
Project for the Benetton shops in 1966
Restoration of the Villa Minelli in 1972
Jeans factory at Cusignana in 1973
The automated and robotized distribution center at Castrette in 1980
Benetton offices in Paris and Freiburg in 1980
The wool division factory at Castrette in 1985
The Benetton office in New York in 1986
Rebuilt, with a change in its use, the first factory at Ponzano Veneto in 1987
Restoration of the Villa Minelli and its surroundings at Ponzano in 1989
The clothing factory in 1993 (doubled in 1995) in Castrette di Villorba (Treviso)
Work with Molteni
Their collaboration with Molteni began in 1973 with the design of the Monk dining chair. Since then, Afra and Tobia Scarpa have designed a significant number of furniture for the Italian brand throughout two decades. Not all of them are still in production, but everyone is a piece of Italian design history.
^Fiell, Charlotte; Fiell, Peter (2005). Design of the 20th Century (25th anniversary ed.). Köln: Taschen. p. 634. ISBN9783822840788. OCLC809539744.
^"Cake Slice". V&A. 1991. Retrieved October 30, 2014.
^ abc"Tobia and Afra Scarpa". L'ArcoBaleno. New York & L'ArcoBaleno GmbH Berlin. Archived from the original on November 27, 2014. Retrieved October 28, 2014.
^"Study in design Living History". The WSJ Magazine. WSJ. September 2016. p. 81.
