Radical Softness: The Original 1970s Joe Leather Armchair by Poltronova

An icon of Anti-Design. A massive scale, natural brown leather, and the ultimate collector's piece. The Icon. Few designs blur the boundary between brutalist sculpture and cosy refuge like the legendary "Joe" armchair. Designed in 1970 by De Pas, D'Urbino & Lomazzi for Poltronova, this piece is a radical homage to Joe Colombo and a deliberate middle finger to the rigid and minimalist furniture of the time. Inspired by a well-worn baseball glove, it straddles both pop art and architecture, and is wholly unforgettable. This piece offered here is a museum-quality example from the 1970s, having retained the patina of the soul that only decades of honesty can confer on it. Covered in rich natural brown leather, this chair has evolved into a deep, cognac-browned hue, softer and more nuanced than any modern re-edition. The five massive, rounded slabs float like catcher mitts, cradling the viewer in a low, anchored, almost primal embrace.