MILAN — Osanna Visconti is known for her cast bronze furniture collections and objects made with the branches and leaves she picks herself in the countryside outside of Milan.
On Wednesday, the Milan-based designer and artist will unveil her first U.S. solo presentation at Maison Gerard, the New York City hub and reference for French design, namely from the Art Deco period. The gallery will dedicate its main location at 53 East 10th Street to showcase about two dozen of Visconti’s cast-bronze works. Each one will be installed in a setting that highlights her dialogue with 20th-century design history.
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The artist and designer’s decorative mirrors, screens, tables, lighting, seating and objects made with magnolias, bamboo and other flora will be featured alongside Maison Gerard’s curation of French Art Deco, 1940s French Modern era, and midcentury design.
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The exhibition draws mostly from Visconti’s celebrated collections — Paglia di Vienna, Bambù, Magnolia, Primavera, Rilievi and Raggi. “I am honored to continue this collaboration with [Maison Gerard owner] Benoist F. Drut and Maison Gérard. Its distinctive fusion of Art Deco elegance and contemporary flair creates a seamless, enchanting dialogue — a graceful harmony where furniture and objects converse in an eclectic dance,” she said, lauding Drut’s rare gift for “conjuring whimsical atmospheres, gently laced with a delicate irony and a breath of lightness.”
Over the past three decades, Visconti has worked closely with master artisans at a Milanese foundry, where she has expanded her practice from fine jewelry to collectible furnishings and objects that embrace both utility and sculpture.
Each work is hand-cast in Milan using the ancient cera persa (lost wax) technique that crystallizes nature’s wonders in their organic, vulnerable forms. Over the years her art and distinct artisan technique has been embraced by major luxury brands like Dior, Diptyque and Bottega Veneta.
At Milan Design Week in April, Visconti unveiled her evocative pieces of furniture and decor in the heart of Milan’s Cinque Vie district. In particular, she introduced a wall-lighting sculpture that imbues her signature poetry into the technical world of illumination.
In an interview with WWD for the occasion, Drut enthused about Osanna’s personal involvement and hands-on approach that involves harvesting bamboo herself from forests near Milan. He added that Osanna’s creations are truly artistic, and deeply personal, in stark contrast to mass-market production.
“When I learned about Osanna’s work and her technique I realized you couldn’t just make a mold and then have 15 pieces made overnight. No, Osanna will be behind each and every one of them and every one will be truly unique and a work of art. And this is what I like.”
Maison Gerard was founded by Gerardus A. Widdershoven in 1974 and quickly rose as New York’s premier destination for fine French Art Deco furniture, lighting, and objets d’art, showcasing masters like Jean-Michel Frank, Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann and Maison Leleu. In the late 1990s, Drut joined as a partner and has expanded the gallery’s scope to include midcentury and contemporary design while supporting both established and emerging designers.