Afra and Tobia Scarpa

Afra and Tobia Scarpa form one of the rare duos in Italian design in which both names remain attached to every piece. Tobia graduated from the University of Venice in 1969; they had worked together since the late 1950s, first in Murano glass, then on furniture for Gavina, Cassina and B&B Italia, and lighting for Flos.

Their Soriana armchair received the Compasso d’Oro in 1969 — a seat with no visible structure, in which the padding is simply pinched by a metal rod. This is the idea that runs through their work: making visible the way the object holds together.

Galerie 90 presents their pieces on a single page rather than one per name: they were conceived by two people, and separating them would make no sense.