New Museum Dedicated to the Chiavari Chair Opens in Liguria

A new museum focused on the iconic Chiavari chair, known as 'chiavarina,' is set to open in Chiavari, Liguria. The museum, named Museo Anna e Guido Rocca della Sedia Leggera, is made possible by a donation from Anna Rocca of her late husband Guido Rocca's former workshop to the Società Economica di Chiavari, a non-profit cultural association. Guido Rocca was a master craftsman renowned for producing the traditional wooden chairs that inspired Gio Ponti's famous Superleggera chair in 1955. The museum will be a 'diffuse museum,' spanning the ex-Laboratorio Rocca, adjacent spaces, and other locations in Chiavari's historic center where the Società Economica already holds contemporary art collections and a collection of antique and modern chiavarine chairs. The opening is scheduled for 2018 after restoration of the 400-square-meter premises. A preview exhibition, 'L'inizio di una sedia,' will take place on September 16, curated by Mario Commone and Lara Conte, featuring artists Jacopo Benassi, Lorenzo D’Anteo, Marco Andrea Magni, and Beatrice Meoni. The exhibition will engage with the chair as an object and the history of the artisan workshop. Raffaella Fontanarossa, Assessore ai Musei of the Società Economica, stated that the museum will also host artist residencies and dossier exhibitions on local artisans and their relationships with collectors and the market.