Castelli - Giancarlo Piretti - Chair - alky - Wood, Textile

An iconic lounge chair, "Alky" model, designed by Giancarlo Piretti and produced by Castelli in Italy around 1970
A seat with soft lines adaptable to the most diverse spaces. A multifunctional armchair, a synthesis of comfort, design and modularity. The Alky are designed to be used individually or combined with each other. the padding is printed directly on a system of elastic bands, to guarantee comfort and stability. it rests on a wooden plinth into which the connecting elements are inserted.

The armchair presented in this auction was produced in the very early 70s and is presented in perfect condition after careful restoration.
The structure and padding are intact, solid and sturdy.
The upholstery was made with a precious Minotti fabric in a warm white color and is perfectly intact, clean "as new".


Armchair dimensions in cm: Height 68 Width 62 Depth 60

Giancarlo Piretti was born in 1940 in Bologna, where he attended the art institute.
Teacher of Interior design, in 1965 he designed the model 106 chair for Castelli, which would evolve into the DSC system of community seating.
In 1970 he designed the Plia folding chair, which received the SMAU awards in Milan, and BIO 5, Distinction at the Ljubljana Biennale in 1971, while in 1973 he received the Gute Form mention from the Chamber of Commerce of the Federal Republic of Germany and a special mention of the British government.
For Castelli he designed the Vertebra seating system with Emilio Ambasz, which received the SMAU award in 1979 and the Compasso d'Oro in 1981.
In 1988 Piretti exhibited the Piretti Collection at the Neocon in Chicago: fifty different models of seats based on a patented mechanism that regulates the tension of the backrest according to the user's weight.
The Collection, marketed by various licensees around the world, received the ASID award in 1990 (USA), the Compasso d'Oro in 1991 and the G MARK (Japan) in 1992.


Anonima Castelli was founded in 1877 by Ettore Castelli, as a cabinetmaker.
After a gradual transformation, between the sixties and eighties the company gave shape to one of the most vital and innovative projects in the world, collaborating with illustrious names in Italian and international design:
Emilio Ambasz, Rodolfo Bonetto, Nilo Gioacchini, Giancarlo Piretti, Charles Pollock, F.A. Porsche, Richard Sapper, Claudio Bellini, Michele De Lucchi, Doriana and Massimiliano Fuksas, Gino Gamberini, Enzo Mari and Mario Ruiz. its products soon became iconic and were chosen to furnish the most important presidential offices of banks and large industries.
Anonima Castelli is synonymous with high quality and essential elegance, celebrated - among other awards - by three ADI Golden Compasses. even today the company is deeply rooted in the history of design and witness to a heritage of knowledge and intuitions.
Since 2019, a team of young talents has been engaged in the re-edition of iconic products and in the design of new design objects, capable of bringing back to current events that innovative tension and contemporary freshness that were the first values of the company, projecting them along new spaces exploratory