Active in New York since the late 19th century, Singer & Sons was the first American company that began to systematically spread the work of Italian designers in the United States after the Second World War. Starting in 1949, the young Josef Singer set out to reorient the family business, which until then had specialized in traditional furniture, towards the modern; after having carried out a survey of the proposals present in his homeland, he turned to Italy, attracted by the warmth, liveliness and artisanal excellence of the Bel Paese. Singer then came into contact with Gio Ponti, identified as a privileged interlocutor to discuss the project. The latter in turn involved a select group of designers, which included Ico Parisi, Carlo Mollino and Carlo De Carli, putting Singer in contact with the Italian companies he used to work with, starting with Cassina. Thanks to these collaborations, to which is added that of the American designer Bertha Schaefer, Singer & Sons launched the Modern by Singer line in October 1951; the strategy was to leverage the association between Italy's prestigious cultural tradition and the idea, spread by the US press, of a "new Italian Renaissance". By emphasizing the sculptural qualities of the furniture that was presented by newspapers, and by the media in general, as true works of art, Singer's strategy aimed at adapting Italian models to American tastes and preferences: privileging the types of furnishings which he believed to be more appreciated by the local public, he toned down the elements perceived as ornamental excesses by adapting the dimensions to the new aesthetic needs, and to the more contained spaces, of modern living. A long friendship was established between Singer and Ponti, amply documented by an extensive epistolary correspondence. Singer's choices, which Ponti - a staunch defender of the inviolability of his own personal expression - tried in vain to resist, will prove successful, judging by the positive reception of the collection. “Modern by Singer” wanted to correct the perception of the capricious and extravagant Italian design, generated in many American observers also by the Italy at Work exhibition of 1950. In 1956 Singer & Sons opens in the Fuller Building, between New York's Madison Avenue and 57th Street, a new showroom dedicated exclusively to the modern, relying on the same circle of Italian designers plus Vito Latis. Although Singer's idea was born from commercial needs, it had the effect of fueling the transatlantic dialogue by supporting the process of assimilation of Italian proposals by American design.