Cesare Lacca Biography
Cesare Lacca was born in Naples in 1929 and is an Italian architect and designer. During the 1950s, he dedicated himself to the creation of numerous metal furnishing objects. Like many 20th century Italian designers, Lacca moved to Milan after World War II to launch his career. Before the age of 21, Lacca was selected by a group of American curators to participate in the prestigious exhibition "Italy at Work: Her Renaissance in Design Today", which was held in 12 US museums between 1950 and 1953. This represents the first important exhibition of Italian design outside of Italy. The exhibition collects and presents the work of the most talented and influential Italian designers, who embrace and develop the principles of the modernist movement and revolutionize the Italian artisan tradition. Among the protagonists of the exhibition are Carlo Mollino, Franco Albini and Gio Ponti. In the exhibition catalogue, the curator Meyric R. Roger illustrates Lacca's successes and skill in working with brass, underlining "the variety and quality of his creations", which "place him among the most influential architects and designers of the modernist movement". Rogers adds that "the quality of his work is distinguished by its decorative effect, without falling into exaggeration or effort." Over the course of his career, Lacca designed a large number of tea and serving trolleys, coffee tables and magazine racks. The designer's most iconic trolley, produced by the Italian company Cassina, features carved woods, brass details and a removable glass shelf that can be used as a tray. In addition to trolleys, Lacca is also known for creating high-backed armchairs, which are regularly included in Arredoluce advertisements for Angelo Lelli's lighting. Regarding lighting, Cesare Lacca's lamp designs, at least one of which was exhibited in 1950 at the Brooklyn Museum, are very difficult to find and therefore are highly valuable pieces in the vintage design market. Almost all of Lacca's famous designs were created in the 1950s and unfortunately no further developments in his career are known. Today, Cesare Lacca is considered one of the main protagonists of design in Italy and an artist in brass processing.
