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Object Timeline

1970

  • Work on this object began.

2008

  • We acquired this object.

2013

2024

  • You found it!

Puffo Stool

This is a stool. It was designed by Gruppo Strum(Georgio Ceretti, Pietro Derossi, Carlo Giammarco, Riccardo Rosso, Maurizio Vogliazzo) and manufactured by Gufram s.r.l.. It is dated ca. 1970 and we acquired it in 2008. Its medium is polyurethane foam, guflac paint. It is a part of the Product Design and Decorative Arts department.

In Italy throughout the 1960s and 1970s, radical design groups were established in opposition to the functionalism of the International Style. Gruppo Strum was one of these groups. They were active in Torino, Italy, between 1966 and 1975, taking their name as an abbreviation of archtettura strumentale (functional architecture). The founders were all architects, graduates of Politecnico di Torino: Giorgio Ceretti, Pietro Derossi, Carlo Giammarco, Riccardo Rosso, and Maurizio Vogliazzo. The group promoted theoretical studies and seminars that played a role in development of the antidesign and radical architecture movements.
The Puffo stool is made from a polyurethane foam that has been molded into a simple cylinder. What looks like a rigid, almost bullet-like form is actually a soft, pliable mass that yields to the sitter while it supports.
This stool would add to a small group of Italian pop art design in the museum’s collection, including the foam Cactus coat rack manufactured by Gufram and furniture of other materials by designers such as Gaetano Pesce.

This object was donated by Irwin R. Berman and Linda Berman. It is credited The Linda and Irwin R. Berman Stool Collection.

Its dimensions are

H x diam.: 45.7 x 52.1 cm (18 x 20 1/2 in.)

Cite this object as

Puffo Stool; Designed by Gruppo Strum(Georgio Ceretti, Pietro Derossi, Carlo Giammarco, Riccardo Rosso, Maurizio Vogliazzo) (Italy); Manufactured by Gufram s.r.l. (Italy); Italy; polyurethane foam, guflac paint; H x diam.: 45.7 x 52.1 cm (18 x 20 1/2 in.); The Linda and Irwin R. Berman Stool Collection; 2008-32-8

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If you would like to cite this object in a Wikipedia article please use the following template:

<ref name=CH>{{cite web |url=https://collection.cooperhewitt.org/objects/18715495/ |title=Puffo Stool |author=Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum |accessdate=25 April 2024 |publisher=Smithsonian Institution}}</ref>