BJ9
Bronze and glass serving cart table, in the style of Willy Rizzo, Mid 20th C.
29" high, 30" wide, 18" deep
$2,500.00
Willy Rizzo is best known
as a photographer and his career began during the golden age of photojournalism.
With a 20 year career at Paris Match and actress Elsa Martinelli as a wife, Rizzo
had unparalleled access to the stars and photographed such greats as Brigitte
Bardot, marilyn Monroe, Gene Kelly and Salvador Dali. In the late 60s, Rizzo put
down his camera and focused instead on interior design, a field in which, though
he had no experience, he would go on to enjoy considerable success. It started
when his high society friends were impressed with what he done to his own apartment
and what followed was a series of commissions from such people as newspaper columnist
Ghighi Cassini, Rodolfo Parisi and Vincente Minelli. By 1968 Rizzo's demand for
work was such that he set up his own company. He established a factory just outside
of Rome at Tivoli and throughout the following 10 years designed and produced
more than 30 pieces of furniture. Willy Rizzo stores could be found in Paris,
LA, New York and Miami. During that decade, Rizzo developed a style that is easily
recognizable today. An admirer of the sophistication of Mies van der Rohe and
Le Corbusier as well as the understated luxury of Ruhlmann, his work brought the
best aspects of these together. Typically his pieces combine clean, simple lines
with bold geometric forms that are enlightened by a delicate handling of materials,
most notable his innovative inlaying of chrome and brass.
