AFRA AND TOBIA SCARPA
Tobia Scarpa, son of the renowned architect and glass artist Carlo Scarpa, was born in Venice in 1935. Afra Bianchin was born in the countryside of Montebelluna two years later, into one of the most well-known families in the area. They met at the Università luav di Venezia, where they both graduated with degrees in architecture in 1957. In 1959, the two designed their first chair, Pigreco for Gavina, during a decoration course held by Franco Albini and where it is widely known that they fell in love! The rest was history, and later that year the duo opened their studio in Afra's hometown.
Shortly thereafter, in 1962, they began their collaboration with Flos and gained international recognition in museums around the world, creating numerous iconic lamps, such as the Fantasma (1962), Biagio (1968), Pierrot (1990), Ariette (1973) and Papillona (1975). Tobia stated, "At the time when I worked at Flos the funnest thing was to always amaze, to make objects that were considered impossible or non-commercial and that eventually turned out to be successful."
Afra and Tobia Scarpa designs were characterized by simplicity and elegance, accompanied with modern and refined aesthetics. During the 1960's, the couple designed the Bastiano sofa and the Vanessa bed for Gavina and the Soriana armchair and Poltroncina 925 for Cassina, now exhibited in the permanent collection of the MoMA. Among their most famous projects is the ‘Coronado’ sofa, made for B&B Italia in 1966 and recognized as one of the first polyurethane models. Other notable collaborations during this decade included designs with Maxalto, Molteni, Meritalia (the Libertà chair is exhibited in the Louvre) and Fabbian. The duo was not only invested in design, but also architecture; their work with Benetton was fundamental, starting in 1964 with the design of the first factory in Paderno.
This relationship continued in the 1980's with additional factories, and in 1999 with the restoration of Villa Spineda in Venegazzù, and later with the design of shops throughout the world. The projects for Benetton are still considered some of the best examples of Italian industrial architecture. In 1992 Tobia Scarpa was recognised at the International Forum Design and he received the second Compasso d 'Oro in 2008 for his career of achievement.
Since 2002, Tobia Scarpa has taught at the Università luav di Venezia. His collaboration with Afra continued until the end, with the couple participating in the restoration of historic Italian palaces. Their experiences have shaped the history of architecture and design both on an Italian and an international level, starting from their Venetian roots and building to a new cosmopolitan approach oriented towards quality and technical research.
Tobia Scarpa explains that “to design is to throw forward a thought, a will, a way of performing; it means giving while in need of everything, a ride to an intimate dimension. Sometimes we try to make paper airplanes. But by eye. Not the way we learned — that we know will make it fly — but with something new, knowing that air has its density, that the wing of a plane has to have its form, that there’s a fluidity to take direction. You put these things together with a bit of glue and you try.”
