Set of four Friso Kramer for Ahrend de Cirkel "Revolt" dining chairs, 1993
About the Item
- Creator:Friso Kramer (Designer),Ahrend de Cirkel (Manufacturer)
- Design:
- Dimensions:Height: 31.89 in (81 cm)Width: 18.31 in (46.5 cm)Depth: 18.9 in (48 cm)Seat Height: 18.12 in (46 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 4
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:1990-1999
- Date of Manufacture:1993
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Amsterdam, NL
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU3940336466142
Revolt Chair
Created by Dutch industrial designer Friso Kramer (1922–2019) in 1953, the lightweight, simple, curved sheet steel and plastic four-legged Revolt chair is among the Netherlands’ most revered pieces of furniture, and yet its author remains relatively unknown. Kramer’s works shaped many different spheres of Dutch life, from mailboxes to streetlights to furniture, and revolutionized postwar design. According to him, “If form does not contribute to function, it has no right to exist.”
Friso Kramer was the son of famous architect Piet Kramer and got his own start studying architecture and interior design at Amsterdam’s Institute of Applied Art. After 1948, Kramer worked as a designer at furniture manufacturer Ahrend de Cirkel and later cofounded the highly influential design studio Total Design. In the 1950s, Kramer became involved in the Stichting Goed Wonen (Good Living Foundation), whose mission was to aid with reconstruction after the war and to improve the general lack of style and materials during this time. It was also during this time that he began designing several metal and plastic chairs, among them the Revolt chair, which became one of the first mass-produced pieces of furniture and a darling of Dutch mid-century modernism.
The Revolt chair was exhibited at the Milan Triennial in 1954. Its construction reflected modern-day research in ergonomics and was widely used in private homes as well as public spaces. Over time, the versatile Revolt chair has become one of Kramer’s most recognizable designs. Following a couple of relaunches, it is still in production today by Royal Ahrend.
Examples of the Revolt chair are in the permanent collection of the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam and the Museum Boijmans van Beuningen in Rotterdam, which devoted an exhibition to Kramer’s work in 1991. Kramer’s contribution to postwar design was honored with the title Royal Designer for Industry by the Royal Society of Arts in London in 1979.
Friso Kramer
Through both his bold furniture designs and his teaching and administrative positions within the architecture and design industries, the solution-oriented Friso Kramer helped elevate industrial design to a venerated place in the modernist canon.
While the mid-century years saw no shortage of function-minded modernists, Kramer may have been the most extreme of them. “If form does not contribute to the function, it has no right to exist,” the Dutch designer once said. Born in Amsterdam in 1922 to the pioneering architect Piet Kramer, Friso studied architecture, industrial design, electrical engineering and interior design. He cut his teeth in the studios of architect Jan Piet Kloos and interior designer Frans Paulussen, then, in 1948, went to work as a designer at the steel furniture manufacturer De Cirkel (part of the Ahrend group), where he would design some of his best-known work.
The 1953 Revolt chair, which is among his most celebrated seating and a darling of Dutch mid-century modernism, embodied Kramer’s function-first design; its skeletal, industrial form provides for maximum comfort and ergonomic support with minimal material. He joined forces with Wim Rietveld, son of celebrated Dutch modernist Gerrit Rietveld, for the 1958 Result chair, which married elements of the Revolt with forms from Rietveld’s Pyramid series. Kramer found numerous ways to riff on and perfect his brand of minimalism: The 1960 Resort and Repose armchairs demonstrate how he slightly tweaked the skeletal frames for different postures and uses.
In 1963, Kramer left Ahrend to found Total Design Studio with Wim Crouwel, Benno Wissing and Paul and Dick Schwartz. The firm grouped graphic, industrial and spatial design under one roof with the shared belief in functionalism. Though Total Design Studio is still in business today, Kramer left the company to return to Ahrend in 1971, serving as art director until 1983. Following Kramer’s death in 2019, Ahrend teamed up with Danish design brand HAY to relaunch the Result and Revolt chairs.
Find vintage Friso Kramer chairs, sofas, tables and other furniture on 1stDibs.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Oude Meer, Netherlands
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 3 days of delivery.
- Set of Two Friso Kramer for Ahrend de Cirkel "Revolt" Dining ChairsBy Friso Kramer, Ahrend de CirkelLocated in Amsterdam, NLBlack metal frame and red and white polyester seating and back. In used but original condition.Category
Vintage 1950s Dutch Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsMetal
- Set of two "Repose" lounge chairs by Friso Kramer for Ahrend de CirkelBy Ahrend de Cirkel, Friso KramerLocated in Amsterdam, NLBlack metal lounge chairs with new beige velvet upholstery. Designed by the Dutch Designer Friso Kramer for Ahrend de Cirkel in 1959. The fra...Category
Mid-20th Century Dutch Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsMetal
- 2x Friso Kramer for Auping '"Euroika" Plywood Chairs, the Netherlands, 1960'sBy Friso Kramer, AupingLocated in Amsterdam, NLTeak plywood dining chair on black metal base. Some small veneer damages at the back of one chair. Friso Kramer is the son of architect Pi...Category
Vintage 1960s Dutch Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsPlywood
- Set of 6 Metaform "Cirkel 1" Dining Chairs by Karel Boonzaaijer&Pierre MazairacBy Metaform HollandLocated in Amsterdam, NLSet of six "Cirkel 1" dining chairs by Karel Boonzaaijer & Pierre Mazairac for Metaform, The Netherlands 1980's Black metal frame and new cognac faux leather upholstery. Some scrat...Category
Vintage 1980s Dutch Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsMetal
- Set of four Spanish antique dining chairs, 1930'sLocated in Amsterdam, NLSet of four Spanish antique dining chairs, 1930's Solid oak antique dining chairs, with hand carved back rests. The chairs have no screws only wooden joints, which makes the chairs a...Category
Early 20th Century Spanish Spanish Colonial Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsOak
- Set of four Cees Braakman for Pastoe model FT30 dining chairs, The NetherlandsBy Pastoe, Cees BraakmanLocated in Amsterdam, NLTeak dining chairs with black faux-leather upholstery. The seating has been reupholstered in black vinyl. The back has the original black vinyl upholstery. One leg has a repair at th...Category
Mid-20th Century Dutch Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsFaux Leather, Teak
- Friso Kramer Revolt chairs wood for Ahrend de Cirkel, 1963By Friso Kramer, Ahrend de CirkelLocated in Roosendaal, Noord BrabantSuper nice set of eight revolt dining chairs designed by Friso Kramer for Ahrend de Cirkel, Holland, 1953. Though the Revolt chair was already designed in 1953, the production starte...Category
Vintage 1960s Dutch Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsMetal
- Set of 6 Revolt Chairs by Friso Kramer for Ahrend de Cirkel, Netherlands, 1956By Friso Kramer, Ahrend de CirkelLocated in Steenwijk, NLThe 'Revolt' chair was designed by Friso Kramer for Ahrend de Cirkel. An award winning design that has become an icon of Dutch industrial design from the 1950's. This solid chair has...Category
Vintage 1950s Dutch Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsMetal
- Friso Kramer Revolt Chairs for Ahrend de Cirkel 1963By Friso KramerLocated in Roosendaal, Noord BrabantSuper nice and scarce set 6 Revolt chairs designed by Friso Kramer for Ahrend de Cirkel, Holland 1953. Though the Revolt chair was already designed in 1953, the production started in...Category
Vintage 1960s Dutch Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsMetal
- 'Revolt' Chair by Friso Kramer for Ahrend de Cirkel, the Netherlands, 1953By Ahrend de Cirkel, Friso KramerLocated in Steenwijk, NLThe 'Revolt' chair was designed by Friso Kramer for Ahrend de Cirkel. An award winning design that has become an icon of Dutch industrial design from the 1950s. The chair has a folde...Category
Vintage 1950s Dutch Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsMetal
- Set of 4 Friso Kramer for Ahrend de Cirkel “Result” Dining Chairs, Netherlands 67By Ahrend de Cirkel, Friso Kramer, Wim RietveldLocated in ABCOUDE, UTSet of 4 Friso Kramer for Ahrend de Cirkel "Result" dining chairs, The Netherlands 1967 Beautiful set of 4 Result chairs designed by Friso Kramer in collaboration with Wim Rie...Category
Vintage 1960s Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsSteel
- Set of 4 Grey Velvet Friso Kramer 'Result' Chairs for Ahrend de CirkelBy Ahrend de Cirkel, Friso KramerLocated in Los Angeles, CASet of 4, Mid-Century, grey velvet Friso Kramer designed 'Result' chairs. Friso Kramer and Wim Rietveld designed the chair while working at Ahrend. Because the chair is light and stu...Category
Vintage 1960s Dutch Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsMetal