Vintage "Tyco" bookcase in lacquered wood by Manfredo Massironi for Nikol International, Italy 1970

The "Tyco" wall shelf was designed by Manfredo Massironi for Nikol International in the 1970s. Fully nestable, finished in white lacquered wood and standing at a massive 240cm, Massironi’s design is an ode to contemporary living. The library gives the illusion of the tip of a ball protruding from the wall. He plays with functionality, art and design to offer an item of furniture that makes a huge statement in any modern or mid-century interior. Manfredo Massironi is an architect and artist born in Padova in 1937, north-east Italy who studied architecture in Venice. In 1959 he is one of the founding members of the Ennea Group, a cultural association made up of nine members (mostly students of the Venice architecture faculty): Tino Bertoldo, Alberto Biasi , Tolo Custoza, Sara Ivanoff, Bruno Limena, Milla Muffato, Gianfilippo Pecchini , Gaetano Pesce and Massironi himself. As a controversial and provocative figure who divided opinion right from the start, Massironiparticipates in the San Fedele prize in Milan with a work made up of an intersection of opposed surfaces in corrugated cardboard which triggers a bitter controversy between artists and critics regarding its eligibility for the competition. While the artist Lucio Fontana and the critic Giulio Carlo Argan intervene in defense of Massironi, the president of the jury Stefano Cairola resigns. Within just a year the group of nine members was reduced to five, calling themselves "visual operators" who would scientifically investigate the world of perception. In their 1961 manifesto, the members of the group (called the N Group) declare themselves experimental designers, "outside of any artistic trend", in the search for a new definition of art, in the awareness that "there can be no separations between architecture, painting, sculpture and industrial products". Many works are produced and signed collectively, in line with the idea that in the contemporary world, material and intellectual production is always and only a product of a multi-subject process. We can see how the Tyco library embraces this philosophy. It blurs the lines between what is perceived as art and functionality, a concept which is so obvious today but so radical in the early 1960s and it is hard to overstate how radical it was for the period. His Tyco library was designed in the 1970s and received much acclaim. Made with MDF and lacquered wood, the materials used were relevant to his philosophy of art as a form to be produced for the masses using inexpensive materials to create an item to stimulate the visual perception of the user. We offer complimentary shipping to all our customers in Great Britain. We are unable to provide a fixed shipping cost for this item to all other countries. All international customers must request a shipping quote before purchasing as shipping costs can vary greatly depending on the destination country. Please note that our interior pieces are located at our Interior Design Showroom in Buckinghamshire, if you wish to see the item in person, please contact us to arrange an appointment. Reference : 279928