PEN1 BENCH BY FRANCESCO BALZANO

Francesco Balzano

Born Paris, France, 1979

An artist based in Paris, Balzano creates minimal, absolute, and timeless furniture, objects, and interiors. He seeks to uncover emotional resonance in the dialogue between shape and material, and to reveal the poetry in the relationship between scale, light, and space. Balzano’s aesthetic vocabulary draws inspiration from the timeless beauty of Venice, Rome, and Florence, where he spent much of his childhood

Guided by the principle that simplicity is the ultimate sophistication, Balzano’s work combines noble materials, purity of line, and hyper-detailed architectural references with everyday functionality. With a sense of exquisite tension—between classical forms and contemporary ingenuity, serene nature and innovative urbanity, timeliness and timelessness—his work holds an enigmatic complexity within a deceptively simple aesthetic, inviting the viewer to discover personal and multifaceted meanings

Dedicated to the highest level of craftsmanship that stands the test of time, Balzano works closely with master artisans at Atelier Saint-Jacques and La Societe STRS to create each exquisite work. Each piece is created in a strictly limited edition, signed, and numbered

After studying architecture and design at Penninghen, Balzano joined the famed studio of Joseph Dirand, working on prestigious projects around the world. He has been recognized multiple times as one of AD France’s 100 Best Designers. In 2018 he opened his eponymous atelier and started designing custom and limited editions of furniture, while continuing his work as an interior designer for private clients at After Bach, which he founded in 2020. In 2023, he created the photographic collective Sogno Studio, an experimental project on contemporary photographic dialogues. In 2024, he launched Sattio Studio, a new collaborative project in unique and resolutely contemporary furniture, where he serves as artistic director

Balzano’s debut New York solo exhibition, Inizio, opened at STUDIOTWENTYSEVEN New York Gallery in 2024. An investigation of the origin of things, Inizio comprises two series of works that epitomize the artist’s values and vision: rooted in simplicity, craftsmanship, and the use of exceptional materials, they are meditative and playful explorations of intimacy and monumentality. In 2025, Balzano was awarded a prestigious residency at the Villa Medici with the Fondation Bettencourt Schueller