Plastic objects in italian design 1950 - 1973

This volume tells the golden years of Italian design from the early 1950s to the beginning of the 1970s from the point of view of objects made of plastic. This material had massively entered the domestic scene during that period, transforming its image permanently and changing people’s lifestyles. The essays by some of the best-known designers and design historians reconstruct the discoveries, experiments and production of objects designed by both masters of Italian design and anonymous designers, from the first appearance of plastic objects on the market to critical reconsiderations of the use of these materials following the energy crisis. The second part of the book contains a detailed iconographic research: through the ads of the time it shows the evolution of habits in Italy during those years of great changes when plastic objects had become the vehicle of a culture of modernity unknown until then. The third part offers a selection of everyday objects characterised by the designers’ and companies’ ability to create original, expressive items: the result of the talent and experimentation that was a hallmark of this outstanding period of Italian design.