Zanotta Secures Carlo Mollino Archive Rights, Launches 'Vertebra' Table at Milan Design Week 2026
On April 15, 2026, in Milan, the Italian design firm Zanotta revealed that it has obtained exclusive production rights to 30 designs by Carlo Mollino (1905-73) along with his comprehensive archive, acquired through a public tender from the Italian government. This deal enables the mass production of Mollino's 'Vertebra' table from 1950, which will be showcased at Milan Design Week 2026, with only two prior examples having been auctioned. Mollino, a versatile talent from Turin, favored limited production, making his creations highly sought after. Zanotta's Milan showroom will display the 'Vertebra' alongside other reissued works, strengthening its ties with Mollino's estate, especially after Cassina's acquisition in 2023, highlighting their commitment to design heritage.
Key facts
- Zanotta acquired exclusive rights to produce 30 designs by Carlo Mollino on 15 April 2026 in Milan
- The acquisition includes Mollino's archive of tens of thousands of drawings, sketches, photographs, and documents
- The 'Vertebra' table from 1950 debuts in serial production at Milan Design Week 2026
- Only two examples of the 'Vertebra' table existed previously, sold at auction three years ago
- Mollino (1905-73) was a Turin-born polymath active in architecture, photography, and design
- Zanotta's exhibition at Via Durini, Milan is curated by studio Calvi Brambilla
- Mollino's archive is housed at the Polytechnic University of Turin's Faculty of Architecture
- Zanotta was acquired by Cassina in 2023
Entities
Artists
- Carlo Mollino
- Giuseppe Terragni
- Gabriele Mucchi
- Ali Morris
- Gianfranco Frattini
- Emanuela Frattini Magnusson
- Pietro Todeschini
- Fiorella Mattio
- Arlene Hirst
- Francesco Merlini
Institutions
- Zanotta
- Italian State
- Cassina
- Polytechnic University of Turin
- Faculty of Architecture
- Calvi Brambilla
- Dezeen
- Wallpaper*
- Kinfolk
- Sotheby's
- Italy's state property agency
- Artemide
- Gubi
- Poltrona Frau
- Tacchini
- Torri Lana
- Sforzesco Castle
- The New York Times
Locations
- Milan
- Italy
- Turin
- UK
- Via Durini
- Sempione Park
- Verona