Arnold Schwarzenegger book launch rests on a Radical Design icon reimagined

This stand for an Arnold Schwarzenegger book – Arnold, published by Taschen – has a suitably iconic design heritage. A standout of the Radical Design movement, Studio 65's ‘Capitello’ was originally conceived in 1971 by founder Franco Audrito as a piece of seating inspired by Greek architecture, and produced by forward-thinking furniture company Gufram. The design now returns in this more compact guise to serve as a stand for Schwarzenegger’s book. 

Founded as an avant-garde, experimental design collective, Studio65 is the name behind several revered designs, and its portfolio includes the 'Bocca' sofa produced by Gufram, taking the form of a giant pair of lips.

‘Capitello’: from Radical Design icon to Arnold Schwarzenegger book stand 

'The “Capitello” was designed in 1971 by Radical Design collective Studio65 on the occasion of a Dupont competition for upholstered living room seating,' recalls Audrito. 'Our desire was to desecrate the classist and repressive use of classic codes, and to reclaim the beauty of the forms, allowing the objects to enter the domestic space with joyful irony.' 

The design was produced by Gufram in hand-finished soft polyurethane, transforming the classic Ionic capital into a pop icon. 

'Our Capitello is not presented in an arrogant version, to support the temples of the gods, but as an archaeological ruin, after the fall, offering itself as a seat for tourists passing through to visit the Parthenon on the Acropolis of Athens,' continues Audrito. Both the original ‘Capitello’ and the new book stand version mimic white marble, but are soft to the touch.

The design's new interpretation was overseen by Audrito, who was asked by Taschen to reimagine ‘Capitello’ to hold the book. 'They thought the capital already suggested the forms of a book stand,' explains Audrito, who decided to keep the original's proportions and slightly adapt them to the limited-edition book's size.

'I then called Charley Vezza, the CEO and artistic director of Gufram, who was immediately enthusiastic about the project, so I got to work straight away,' he adds. 'Based on the size of the book, I studied its proportions, designed the cut-out to contain the book, both in the closed-book version and in the open-book version, and after a long process of experimentation with materials, production of models and prototypes, in collaboration with the Gufram technical office and with Frank Goerhardt of Taschen, we finally created the new “Capitello Arnold”. [It’s] intended for collectors, signed by Studio65 and created for Taschen by Gufram as an art multiple.'

While the “Capitello Arnold” is available from December 2023 in a limited edition of 400, the book was just published by Taschen as a collector's edition of 1,447 copies, featuring a hardcover with ChromaLuxe aluminium print, a slipcase, and a smaller companion volume. A decade in the making, the Schwarzenegger book, a note explains, 'traces his journey from poverty to Mr Olympia, to movie star, and to the Governor’s Mansion'. 

The double tome includes portraits by Richard Avedon, Annie Leibovitz, Robert Mapplethorpe, Herb Ritts, Francesco Scavullo, and Andy Warhol, vintage images from his bodybuilding days, film stills, personal photos from Schwarzenegger's private archives, and exclusive interviews.

'[Arnold Schwarzenegger] presents himself as a hero from a popular saga, who uses his strength and intelligence to defend the weakest,' comments Audrito. 'He fights against social injustices, the abuses of tyrants and evil people in historical Hollywood films, he represents the good in the eternal struggle between good and evil. He is a pop hero, as pop as the pieces designed by Studio65.'

'Arnold. Capitello edition' is available for pre-order via taschen.com

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