P 44 & SG 44

Designed by Gastone Rinaldi in 1959 for Rima, the P 44 armchair (accompanied by the ottoman version SG 44) represents the pinnacle of the organic and filiform line that characterized Italian design in the 1950s.

Technological Innovation

These models mark Rima's definitive transition from an artisan workshop to a fully-fledged modern industry. The element of greatest discontinuity with respect to previous research lies in the adoption of spot electro-welding technology. While the models of the early 1950s (such as Du 43) exploited the tension of pre-existing or manually woven nets, P 44 and SG 44 are obtained by shaping straight metal wires on a shell and welding them mechanically at each intersection. This technical solution allowed Rima to align with the international production standards already experimented with by the masters of American design.

Formal Profile and Methodology

In these projects, the metal rod is treated as a fluid material, defining a dynamic and coherent structure in which formal elegance is indissolublinely linked to function, while ensuring an ergonomic comfort that responds naturally to the user's posture.

Historical Significance

The 44 series condenses the best of a decade of experimentation on steel, representing the last expression of the plastic and organic line before the transition towards the more schematic, rectilinear and rational style of the 1960s. The P44, a model in which the "casual harmony" that characterizes Rinaldi's aesthetic is expressed to the maximum, condenses his ability to transform technical limitations into design opportunities and remains a benchmark in the aesthetic of metal furniture.