Table Coffee Sofa Willy Rizzo Alveo Black Chrome 1972 Vintage Cidue Italy

"It was about creating something new for a traditional setting." Willy Rizzo, 'ALVEO' black lacquered and chromed coffee table, for Cidue, Italy, 1972-1973 - The recessed base creates the impression that the table is floating and lightens the aesthetic - The combination of Modernist design in black polished wood alongside polished chrome creates a striking, sophisticated aesthetic - One of the distinctive features of this table is the removeable, chrome box which fits into the central inset, compartment which was intended as a bar, a wine cooler or for burning charcoal. The well could be used for storing magazines or adapted as a display compartment by fixing a perspex or glass panel over the recess. - Willy Rizzo has always loved beautiful things and fine antiques. He has created a modern statement and conversation piece that harmonises and juxtaposes with traditional furniture and paintings - A true Renaissance man, Rizzo devised furniture and lighting designs that were elegant, sexy, and functional. He often cited the influence of his close friend Corbusier. "It was never about re-creating classic styles in modern furniture, that wasn't the point," Rizzo once said. "It was about creating something new for a traditional setting." Born in Naples in 1928, Rizzo was a photographer, furniture designer, raconteur, and icon. Through his camera lens he documented the last half of the 20th century in a way no one else could. Le Corbusier, Jack Nicholson, Salvador Dalí, Marlene Dietrich, Sir Winston Churchill, Marilyn Monroe, Federico Fellini, Jane Fonda, Pablo Picasso, Coco Chanel and Yves Saint Laurent are just a few of his muses. Rizzo's magical ability to tell a story with an image resulted in commissions to photograph towering political figures, including Churchill, and to document seminal historical moments such as the Nuremberg trials.

EXHIBITED : ALVEO was exhibited at the 1973 Salone di mobile in Milan. LITERATURE : ALVEO was published in several publications: the July/August 1972 issue of the design periodical Casa Vogue, Maison & Jardin, Septembre 1973, page 131 and `Le retour de Willy Rizzo`, AD, number 86, Septembre 2009, page 54. Attached is an advert from Casa Vogue, 1973 illustrating a similar black lacquer & chrome version of Alveo PROVENANCE : Private Collection Measures: Table height 34.5cm Table length 129.2cm Table width 80cm.