Vintage Cornelis Zitman Sofa for Pastoe in The Netherlands, 1964s

A very rare, three seater sofa, model FM50, designed by Cornelis Zitman and manufactured by Pastoe in the Netherlands in 1964. This beautiful piece is made of high quality grey metal with plywooden frame and armrests. The seat and back cushions are upholstered in yellow fabric, complimenting the rest of the design really well It is a rare piece that was only produced for a very short period, as the production costs where too high. It’s modern design has a really great sense of luxury that will definitely draw the attention in any decor A fantastic piece of Dutch mid-century design. It remains in very good original condition, with minor wear consistent with age and use, preserving a beautiful patina. Seating height 41cm. Cornelis Zitman (born November 9, 1926) is a Dutch sculptor and draftsman. Zitman was born to a family of construction workers in Leiden, The Netherlands. He enrolled in the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in The Hague at the age of fifteen. On completing his studies in 1947, he refused compulsory military participation, as he disagreed with Holland’s political actions in Indonesia, and fled the country aboard a Swedish oil tanker that would take him to Venezuela. He settled in the city of Coro, where he found work as a technical draftsman for a construction company. In his free time, he painted and made his first incursions into the field of sculpture. Two years later he moved to Caracas, where he worked as a furniture designer at a factory of which he later became manager. In 1951, he received the National Sculpture Prize. He began teaching classes in design at Central University of Venezuela and continued drawing and painting. In 1958, he exhibited a collection of drawings and paintings at the Museum of Contemporary Art of Caracas. He decided to abandon a life of business and moved to the island of Grenada, where he dedicated himself completely to painting and began to assert his style in sculpting. In 1961, he traveled to Boston to participate in an exhibition of paintings and design. That same year he returned to Holland with a desire to study smelting techniques. In 1964, he worked as a smelting apprentice to the sculptor Pieter Starreveld before returning definitively to Venezuela, contracted by Central University as a professor of design. The following year, he began working more intensively in small format sculpture modelled directly in wax. In 1971, he exhibited for the first time at the Galerie Dina Vierny in Paris. From then on, he dedicated himself exclusively to sculpture. In the following years, he carried out various independent showings in Venezuela, France, Switzerland, the Netherlands, the United States, Japan and other countries, earning various national and international awards. His works can be found in collections and museums of various countries, such as the National Art Gallery and the Museum of Contemporary Art of Caracas in Venezuela, and the Musée Maillol in Paris.