- Designed By - Marcel Breuer
- When - 1928
- Made From - Tubular
steel, solid beech, woven cane
- Manufactured By - Standard-Möbel, then Thonet, then Gallina, then Knoll
- More Info - This
is one of the best known and most popular of all cantilever chair designs. It
was originally called the B32 but in 1960 it was renamed Cesca after Breuer’s
daughter Francesca. It was designed by Breuer while he was still teaching at
the Bauhaus and is a popular choice for a dining chair. An original is included
in MoMA’s permanent collection
and the curator there, Cara McCarty, said “it’s among the 10 most important
chairs of the 20th century”. It is also available fully upholstered and with
arms.
- Designed
By - Marcel Breuer
- When
- 1936
- Made
From - Laminated birch and
moulded plywood
- Manufactured
By - The Isokon Furniture Company
- More
Info - This chaise , which
is sometimes known as the Ikson Long Chair, was
Breuer’s first moulded plywood chair. Breuer was invited to design a chair by
Jack Pritchard, the owner of Ipson, after he moved to
England. It was basically a wooden version of Breuer’s aluminium chair which
was designed in 1932 and it has a very similar shape to Le Courbusier’s Chaise Lounge. This
chair is shown in many museums across the world including the V&A in
London. It is available covered in foam and leather or fabric upholstery. There
is also a shorter version.
- Designed By - Marcel
Breuer
- When - 1922
- Made From - Oak
with wool upholstery
- Manufactured By - Bauhaus Cabinet Workshop
- More Info - This
chair, sometimes called the slatted chair, was designed by Breuer while he was at the
Bauhaus. He wanted to create a chair using minimal materials and cost and this
is his solution. The design was also based was based on Breuer’s anatomical research to support
the heaviest bones of the human body in
maximum comfort. It was first exhibited
at the Kunstammlungen, Weimar in 1922. The fabric was
produced in the Weaving Workshop at
the Bauhaus. It is clearly influenced by the style of De Stijl and the work of Gerrit Rietveld.
- Designed By - Marcel Breuer
- When -
1925
- Made From - Bars
of chrome plated tubular steel and strips of black leather
- Manufactured By - Thonet
- More Info - This
is the best and most well-known example of Breuer’s revolutionary tubular steel
furniture. It is a re-working of the traditional club chair so it was
originally called the B3 Club Chair but then later become known as the Wassily
chair after the Russian artist Wassily Kandinsky gave the design his approval.
It was the first ever chair to have a bent steel frame and was inspired by the
curved tubular steel handle bars on Breuer’s ‘Adler’ bicycle. The prototypes
were produced with the help of a plumber to do the welding. He had to use steel
tubes that did not have a seam so that they did not break when bent. The strips
of fabric are carefully arranged so the body never comes into contact with the
cold metal. Breuer said ‘when I saw the completion of my steel chair, I thought
that of all my works, this would attract the most criticism. It is the most
extreme in its outward appearance and material expression; it is the least
artistic, the most logical, the most ‘liveable’, the most machine-like. What
happened was the opposite of what I expected’. It is now one of the most famous 20th century chairs and
is a modernistic icon. The Wassily Chair is a timeless design and is still in
production now. It looks functional and stylish and is often seen in offices
and showrooms.
