The first version of the Mezzadro (sharecropper) stool was shown at the X. Milan Triennial in 1954. Designed by Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni and presented under the theme “Art and Production”, the Mezzadro stool did not undergo its final design iteration until 1957 when, in its present-day form, it was presented at the exhibition entitled “Colori e forme nella casa d’oggi” at Villa Olmo in Como.
Description: lacquered sheet steel tractor seat affixed to a chromed steel bow by means of a wing nut and stabilized by a solid beech wood footrest. The stool first went into production in 1970 (Zanotta s.p.a) at which time it formally acquired the name Mezzadro.
Strikingly radical and at once spare and utilitarian, the Mezzadro stool is a joy to sit on. Heavy construction materials give it a feel of rock-solid stability. The flexible steel bow gives it dynamism. The bright colored seat makes it stand out. The quintessential “found object” and now considered an icon, Mezzadro is in the permanent design collection of the Museum of Modern Art.
I purchased my Mezzadro many years ago from Moss on Green Street in NYC. In May this year, Moss celebrated the 50th anniversary of Zanotta with a special tribute to Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni. They commissioned 50 Mezzadro stools, each in a different spectacular color, each signed and numbered. The photo below shows the stools as they were exhibited.
Hey,
I am glad the stool is back where it belongs.I did not know where to put my clothes anymore!
Posted by: Josée | October 09, 2006 at 08:08 AM