Chaise longue and ottoman Gabriele Mucchi "Genni" for Zanotta

Gabriele Mucchi was an Italian painter, engraver, and architect. Considered one of the co-founders of Nouveau Réalisme, his works are exhibited in many prestigious museums. Mucchi studied architecture at the University of Bologna, where he graduated in 1923. He then worked as an architect for various firms in Milan and Rome. In the 1930s, he successfully turned to painting. His monumental frescoes attracted attention beyond Italian borders. At that time, his studio became a meeting place for the antifascist group Corrente, opposed to Mussolini's regime. During World War II, Mucchi joined the partisans of the Garibaldi Brigade. After the war, he lived for many years in East Berlin, where he taught at the Weissensee Academy of Fine Arts. It was during this period that the artist formed a friendship with the writer Bertolt Brecht, nurtured by their shared quest for realistic forms of expression in art. The friendship and collaboration between Mucchi and Brecht are evident in the theatre sets that Mucchi created for the Berliner Ensemble based on Brecht's plays. Mucchi passed away in Milan in 2002 and is buried in the central cemetery of Berlin-Friedrichsfelde, among artists. The Genni model presented here was designed by Mucchi in 1938. It is in very good overall condition. The cover is bound in genuine black leather and the spine in faux leather. These books show slight signs of wear.