Giancarlo Palanti
Zig Zag armchairs, 1949
The Zig Zag chair was made of solid waxed pau marfim or cabreuva wood. The seat and backrest are formed by two pieces of leather, which are bound together using buckles, representing the interest of Estúdio Palma in pursuing a contextual modernism, as in the use of local essence of wood and the research on breathable seatings and upholstery suitable for tropical climate. In the magazine Habitat number 1 (1950) this chair was attributed by Lina Bo Bardi to Giancarlo Palanti, but the concept is the same as other chairs of this period created by Lina. This represent the importance of the artistic and intellectual exchange between Lina Bo Bardi and Giancarlo Palanti, which was vital to the studio’s production to the extent of the individual designer name not needing to be specified in most cases.
Palanti’s Zig Zag armchair, together with coffee tables and sofas, was selected by the architect Rino Levi for the foyer of the Cultura Artistica Theatre, São Paulo, Brazil.
The same model was also part of the private collection of artist Julio Roberto Katinsky House