Élizabeth Garouste (French, born 1949) & Mattia Bonetti (Swiss, born 1952)
Rare Pair of Koala Armchairs
France, 1980s
Élizabeth Garouste (French, born 1949) & Mattia Bonetti (Swiss, born 1952)
Rare Pair of Koala Armchairs
France, 1980s
H 33 ½ x W 29 ½ x D 29 ½ in (85.1 x 74.9 x 74.9 cm)

Elizabeth Garouste and Mattia Bonetti elegant and chic pair of Koala armchairs or lounge chairs in ivory bouclé with cast patinated bronze legs impressed with monogram BG, produced by BGH Editions, Paris, 1980s. These stylish and organic armchairs are modernist with whimsical details throughout including the shaped bronze front legs and floor extended back cutout design.

Élizabeth Garouste and Mattia Bonetti began their illustrious partnership in 1981, designing furniture and lighting on the forefront of a new romanticism that celebrated whimsy, absurdity and luxury. Garouste and Bonetti returned to and re-imaged design that was highly decorative. They infused this extravagance with the wit and irony of self-awareness, bridging the sensibilities of the early and late 20th century. Élizabeth Garouste studied interior design at the École Camondo in Paris. She worked designing theater sets and in the fashion industry before meeting Mattia Bonetti was trained in textile design at the Centro Scolastico per l’Industria Artistica in Lugano. He also worked as a product designer, stylist and photographer. The duo was named Designers of the Year at the International Furniture Fair in 1991. Their work is held in such prestigious collections as the Cooper-Hewitt Museum, New York and the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris.

Provenance
Literature

Alex Buck and Matthias Vogt, eds., Garouste & Bonetti, Frankfurt, 1996, p. 58

Pierre Staudenmeyer, Garouste Bonetti, Paris, 2000, p. 94

Price: SOLD
Item #: GEB101
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