WILLY RIZZO (Naples, 1928-Paris ,2013).
Sideboard. Italy, 1970s.
Black laminated wood and chromed metal.
Measurements: 50 x 110 x 61 cm.
T.V. sideboard furniture, designed by Willy Rizzo, manufactured in the 1970s in Italy, most probably by Mario Sabot Ediciones. Two front doors with interior shelves. Chrome-plated metal profiles on the front. The Italian designer and photographer first came to prominence in the 1960s as a chronicler and jet-setter. Although photography was Rizzo's first love, in the 1970s he developed a second successful career as a designer of luxury furniture. In the 1940s, Rizzo began his career as a photojournalist, working for several French publications. After World War II, Rizzo covered the Nuremberg Trials and travelled to Tunisia for Point de Vue to photograph the conflict in North Africa. He was hired by France Dimanche to take portraits of the rich and famous at events such as the Cannes Film Festival. Rizzo's charm won the trust of royalty, dignitaries and film stars, allowing him to photograph these public figures in natural moments. Rizzo travelled to New York with the Black Star Agency in 1947 to photograph American stars. When he returned to Paris, he began working for Paris Match, as chief photographer. In 1959, he became the artistic director of Marie Claire and collaborated with other fashion magazines, such as Vogue. Throughout his career, Rizzo photographed dozens of stars. In 1968 he moved to Rome. It was here that Rizzo began his work in furniture design, starting with his newly rented, ramshackle Roman flat. For personal use only (at first), Rizzo created a series of unique pieces inspired by modernist icons such as Mies van der Rohe and Le Corbusier. But like his brilliant friends - Rodolfo Parisi, Gigli Rizzi, Franco Rapetti, Salvador Dalí, Brigitte Bardot, and other admirers of his work, Rizzo was inundated with design commissions and set up a company. In 1978, Rizzo sold his company and returned to photography.