BOTTA Collection

Mario Botta, 1982

Archetypal shapes with architectural geometry were the inspiration for these historical masterpieces, designed by the great contemporary Ticino architect Mario Botta for the interiors of some of his famous buildings. The Prima and Seconda chairs are classics in the Alias catalogue, true icons of Made in Italy design. The two chairs originate from the same geometric base. The Prima, constructed back to front, differs from the Seconda, which becomes an armchair with the extension of the two vertical elements and the addition of armrests.

  • Seconda, Something Else, ph. Alberto Strada 2023
    Seconda, Something Else, ph. Alberto Strada 2023
  • Study sketches of the first and second session
    Study sketches of the first and second session

BOTTA products

Seconda
Prima

Mario Botta

He was born in Mendrisio in 1943 and graduated from the Iuav University of Venice, where he worked with Le Corbusier and Louis Kahn. He has carried out teaching and research in Europe, Asia and America. Since 1982 he has been collaborating with Alias, for which he designed Prima and Seconda, two of his most famous chairs, now on display at MoMA in New York, and the chest of drawers Robot. An award-winning architect, he has published several monographs, and founded the Swiss Academy of Architecture in 1996. He lives and works in Lugano.

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