Cooper Hewitt says...
Based in Milan, Italy, Zanotta S.p.A., was founded by entrepreneur Aurelio Zanotta in 1954, as Zanotta Poltrona. The firm built a reputation as a premier manufacturer of some of post-war Italy’s most avant-garde designs. By the early 1960s Zanotta started commissioning innovative furniture by Italian designers including Achille Castiglione, Gae Aulenti, and Ettore Sottsass. The firm became a proponent of the Italian anti-design movement, manufacturing landmark pieces such as the inflatable plastic “Blow” chair by de Pas, D’Urbino, and Lomazzi (1967), and the “Sacco” bean bag chair by Gatti, Paolini, and Teodora (1968). In 1965, the company was among the first furniture manufacturers to employ frameless construction, and create forms from expanded polyurethane foam. By the mid-1990s, under the management of founder Aurelio’s daughter, Eleanora, Zanotta collaborated with an international roster of notable designers, such as Max Bill (Switzerland), and Gilles Derain (France). Since 2002, the company has been run by Eleanora and her brothers Francesco and Martino.
