ticketsMember | Make a donation

"I Sassi" ("The Rocks") Seating

Designer Piero Gilardi Italian
Manufacturer Gufram Italian
1967–68
Not on view
This seating group is unconventional in both its Surreal aesthetic ("soft" rocks) and its technical structure (unsupported polyurethane foam). Avoiding any associations with traditional furniture, Gilardi created an amusing and subversive design that is as much a work of art as a functional object.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: "I Sassi" ("The Rocks") Seating
  • Designer: Piero Gilardi (Italian, 1942–2023)
  • Manufacturer: Gufram (Italian, founded 1952)
  • Date: 1967–68
  • Medium: Painted polyurethane foam
  • Dimensions: 1987.6.2a: 17 15/16 × 26 3/16 × 22 1/16 in., 12.5 lb. (45.5 × 66.5 × 56 cm, 5.7 kg)
    1987.6.2b: 6 1/2 × 13 3/8 in., 1.5 lb. (16.5 × 34 × 27 cm, 0.7 kg)
    1987.6.2c: 3 15/16 × 7 3/16 × 4 3/4 in., 0.3 lb. (10 × 18.3 × 12 cm, 0.1 kg)
  • Classification: Furniture
  • Credit Line: Purchase, Theodore R. Gamble Jr. Gift, in honor of his mother, Mrs. Theodore Robert Gamble, 1987
  • Object Number: 1987.6.2a-c
  • Curatorial Department: Modern and Contemporary Art

More Artwork

More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
"Tube" Chair, Joe Colombo Italian, Synthetic knit upholstery, polyurethane foam (PUR), poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC), natural rubber, and tubular steel
"Tube" Chair
Joe Colombo
Flexform
1969–70
"Carlton" Room Divider, Ettore Sottsass Italian, born Austria, Wood, plastic laminate
"Carlton" Room Divider
Ettore Sottsass
Memphis Milano
1981
Desk, Carlo Bugatti Italian, Walnut, copper, pewter, vellum
Desk
Carlo Bugatti
ca. 1902
Screen
Eileen Gray
ca. 1922–25
"Model No. 41" Lounge Chair, Alvar Aalto Finnish, Laminated Birch
"Model No. 41" Lounge Chair
Alvar Aalto
Oy. Huonekalu-Ja Rakennustyötehdas AB
1931–32

Related Content

Publications

Books, guides, and catalogues published by The Met.

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.