70s Osvaldo Borsani ‘modus’ desk chair for Tecno

Osvaldo Borsani was born in 1911 in Varedo, Italy. He studied Beaux-Arts at Accademia di Brera in Milan and architecture at Politecnico di Milano, graduating in 1936. While still in school, Borsani earned already a silver medal. At the same time, he began collaborating with his father Gaetano in the family business, Atelier Varedo, producing fine cabinetry with European Deco influences. In 1932 the business was renamed Arredamento Borsani and opened its first space in Milan.
Around the same time, Borsani began to collaborate with Milanese artists such as Lucio Fontana, Agenore Fabbri, Arnaldo, and Gio Pomodoro.
In 1953, Osvaldo and his twin brother, Fulgenzio opened TECNO, a firm that became known for its technology and research-based approach to furniture design. Tecno is well known for deisgins like the D70, P40 and it’s office furnitures created by Borsani and Eugenio Gerli.
In 1970, together with his daughter Valeria and Marco Fantoni, Borsani introduced the Centro Progetti Tecno, a collaborative design laboratory for new product development. Borsani passed away on April 16, 1985 in Milan.