Frank Ghery Hat Trick Arm Chairs for Knoll
About the Item
- Creator:Frank Gehry (Designer),Knoll (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 33.5 in (85.09 cm)Width: 23.25 in (59.06 cm)Depth: 21.75 in (55.25 cm)Seat Height: 18 in (45.72 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 2
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (In the Style Of)
- Materials and Techniques:Maple,Beaded
- Place of Origin:
- Period:1990-1999
- Date of Manufacture:1990
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. very good.
- Seller Location:Chicago, IL
- Reference Number:
Frank Gehry
With magnificent buildings such as the Guggenheim Bilbao, Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles and the new Foundation Louis Vuitton in Paris, Frank Gehry has changed the nature and spirit of contemporary architecture. Yet the world’s best-known living architect has also enjoyed a prolific career as a designer of artful and functional objects, ranging from furniture to jewelry, that even at smaller scale are as lively and captivating as his architectural designs.
Gehry was born in Toronto and moved with his family to Los Angeles in 1947. He received a degree in architecture from the University of Southern California in 1954 and — after several years of casting about that included a stint in the U.S. Army and studies at Harvard — Gehry opened his architectural practice in L.A. in 1962.
Idiosyncratic renovations to his small, traditional house in Santa Monica — such as cladding portions of the exterior in chain-link fencing and corrugated metal — drew attention to Gehry in architectural circles. Corporate and institutional commissions added to his reputation, culminating in the global acclaim that greeted the opening of the Guggenheim Bilbao in 1997. But the combination of visual dynamism and structural integrity expressed by that building had been evident for decades in Gehry’s designs. In 1972 he introduced a much-admired line of furniture he called Easy Edges. The curves and flowing lines of the pieces, which include the Wiggle chair, seem antithetical to the material are made from: cardboard — a presumably flimsy material that, when stacked, laminated and folded, is actually extraordinarily sturdy.
Many of Gehry’s designs feature an abstracted fish motif. For the architect, it is a symbol of vitality, strength and flexibility. The fish appears in a group of 1982 plastic lamps created for Formica (and exhibited by the Jewish Museum in New York in 2010). Gehry used the motif in crystal goblets for Swid Powell (1990), his Pito kettle for Alessi (1992) and as earrings for a 2006 jewelry collection for Tiffany that also includes torqued rings, necklaces and bangles.
Gehry returned to furniture design in 1992 with a remarkably energetic line of furniture for Knoll with frames and seating made of bent, lightweight wooden strops. (The pieces' names, such as Power Play and Cross Check, derive from ice hockey.) In 2004, Heller released a group of twisted, faceted furnishings in molded polyethylene meant to evoke Gehry’s architecture. But — whether its tableware, jewelry or furniture — all Gehry’s designs do that--sharing an animated aesthetic built on a solid foundational core. To possess a piece of Gehry design is to own one of his buildings, in miniature.
Find vintage Frank Gehry chairs, tables and other furniture on 1stDibs.
Knoll
As a company that produced many of the most famous and iconic furniture designs of the 20th century, Knoll was a chief influence in the rise of modern design in the United States. Led by Florence Knoll, the firm would draw stellar talents such as Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Eero Saarinen into its compass. Their work would help change the face of the American home and office.
The company was formed in 1938 by the German immigrant Hans Knoll. He first worked with his fellow ex-pat, the Danish designer Jens Risom, who created furniture with flowing lines made of wood. While Risom served in World War II, in 1943 Knoll met his future wife, Florence Schust. She had studied and worked with eminent emigré leaders of the Bauhaus, including Mies, Walter Gropius and Marcel Breuer. She won Knoll over with Bauhaus notions of industrial arts, and an aesthetic that featured flat and tubular metal frames and angular forms. When Hans died in a car crash in 1955, Florence Knoll was appointed head of the company. It was as much through her holistic approach to design — a core division of the firm was dedicated to planning office systems — as Knoll's mid-century modern furnishings themselves that she brought about the sleek and efficient transformation of the American workplace.
Today, classic Knoll furnishings remain staples of modern design collections and decor. A history of modern design is written in pieces such as the elegant Barcelona chair — created by Mies and Lilly Reich — Saarinen’s pedestal Tulip chair, Breuer’s tubular steel Wassily lounge chair and the grid-patterned Diamond chair by Harry Bertoia.
As you can see from the collection of these designs and other vintage Knoll dining chairs, sofas and tables on 1stDibs, this manufacturer's offerings have become timeless emblems of the progressive spirit and sleek sophistication of the best of modernism.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Chicago, IL
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 1 day of delivery.
- Mies van der Rohe for Knoll set of Four Bruno ChairsBy Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, KnollLocated in Chicago, ILMies van der Rohe for Knl set of Four Bruno chairs with arm pads, Original Gray leather with stainless steel frames. * Seat Height (in): 17.5 * ...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsStainless Steel
- Edward Wormley for Dunbar "A" Frame Arm ChairBy Dunbar Furniture, Edward WormleyLocated in Chicago, ILEdward Wormley for Dunbar "A" Frame Arm Chair, Horseshoe curved back with original leather-covered armrests, solid mahogany frame, brass exposed screws...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsLeather, Mahogany
- Florence Knoll Hanging Cabinet for Knoll InternationalBy Knoll, Florence KnollLocated in Chicago, ILFlorence Knoll Hanging Cabinet for Knoll International, Model 121 Birch case with drop front doors. Inside pull-out drawer with flatwar...Category
Vintage 1940s American Mid-Century Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
MaterialsLeather, Birch
- Florence Knoll for Knoll International Sliding Door Storage Cabinet.By Florence Knoll, KnollLocated in Chicago, ILFlorence Knoll for Knoll International Sliding Door Storage Cabinet, Model 541, designed in 1952 made 1962 with stamp. This piece features square tubular chrome plated legs, painted ...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Apothecary Cabinets
MaterialsWalnut
- Angelo Mangiarotti Vase for KnollBy Angelo Mangiarotti, KnollLocated in Chicago, ILAngelo Mangiarotti Vase for Knoll, Light Grey Marble with Dark Grey veining. [Stamped underside Made in Italy]Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vases
MaterialsMarble
- Peter Hamburger for Knoll Crylicord Floor LampBy Peter Hamburger, KnollLocated in Chicago, ILA floor lamp by designer Peter Hamburger, produced, circa 1970s for the Crylicord series from Knoll, with curved stem in Lucite, cylindrical shade and base in polished chrome. Very g...Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps
MaterialsChrome
- Pair of Frank Gehry for Knoll Maple Hat Trick ChairsBy Frank Gehry, KnollLocated in Rio Vista, CAIconic pair of maple plywood hat trick chairs designed by Frank Gehry for Knoll. Each beautiful chair is signed and dated on bottom. Constructed on 8-7...Category
20th Century American Post-Modern Armchairs
MaterialsMaple
- Hat Trick Chair by Frank Gehry for KnollBy Knoll, Frank GehryLocated in TORONTO, CA2009 production. Inspired by the surprising strength of the apple crates he played on as a child, Frank Gehry created his thoroughly original collection of bentwood furniture name H...Category
Early 2000s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsMaple
- Hat Trick Chairs by Frank Gehry for KnollBy Frank Gehry, KnollLocated in Chicago, ILc. 1992. Price is for the set. Contact us if you’d like to purchase a single item.Category
1990s American Post-Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsWood
- Hat Trick Chairs by Frank Gehry for KnollBy Knoll, Frank GehryLocated in Chicago, ILc. 1992. Price is for the set. Contact us if you’d like to purchase a single item.Category
1990s American Post-Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsWood
- "Power Play" Chair by Frank Gehry for KnollBy Knoll, Frank GehryLocated in Oud Beijerland, NL"Power Play" Chair designed by Frank Gehry for Knoll. Beautiful and ingenious design of 'woven' of bended wood. This particular chair is manufact...Category
Early 2000s American Post-Modern Armchairs
MaterialsBentwood
- Mid Century Modern Sculptural Birch 6 Hat Trick Chairs by Frank Gehry - KnollBy Frank Gehry, KnollLocated in Port Jervis, NYFantastic set of 6 post Modern "Hat Trick Chairs" by Frank Gehry for Knoll. Created from Birch laminates chairs are steam bent in a ribbon like form which lends to a very organic typ...Category
1990s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsPlastic, Birch, Plywood
Recently Viewed
View AllRead More
These New York Architects Love a Complicated Project
From Brooklyn townhouses to Maine campgrounds, Trattie Davies and Jonathan Toews relish a challenge, like transforming a former warehouse space into the new 1stdibs Gallery.
The 21 Most Popular Mid-Century Modern Chairs
You know the designs, now get the stories about how they came to be.