1st-Generation Knoll Associates Barcelona Chair and Ottoman, c 1961, Signed
View Similar Items
1st-Generation Knoll Associates Barcelona Chair and Ottoman, c 1961, Signed
About the Item
- Creator:
- Design:
- Dimensions:Height: 29.5 in (74.93 cm)Width: 29.5 in (74.93 cm)Depth: 29.5 in (74.93 cm)Seat Height: 17.5 in (44.45 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 2
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:circa 1961
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Good vintage condition, ready for immediate use. Ideal collectors examples, see description for more details.
- Seller Location:Los Angeles, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU1330227149072
Barcelona Chair
For the German Pavilion at the 1929 International Exposition in Barcelona, German-American architect and furniture maker Ludwig Mies van der Rohe (1886–1969) — in collaboration with his romantic partner, designer Lilly Reich (1885–1947) — created a chair fit for royalty.
The Spanish king, Alfonso XIII, was expected to attend the opening of the World’s Fair, and as Mies later stated, the chair needed to be “monumental . . . you just couldn’t use a kitchen chair.” In its X-shaped structure, the Barcelona chair recalls the ancient folding stools of Egypt and Rome and was designed with swooping lines and a luxe contrast of materials between the chrome-plated frame and quilted leather cushions. Like the pavilion surrounding it, the chair distilled Mies’s “less is more” aphorism.
By all accounts, King Alfonso XIII never got around to sitting on this modern throne. The pavilion, too, stood for only seven months before it was demolished. Nevertheless, the Barcelona chair was regarded as a masterwork of modernism, influencing countless buildings that followed with its minimalist aesthetic of marble, glass and steel, which gracefully flowed together from the exterior to the interior spaces. Out of all the pavilion’s components, the Barcelona chair had the most longevity as a stand-alone piece.
Shortly after the close of the pavilion, the Barcelona chair went into production, first handcrafted by the Berliner Metallgewerbe studio. It became popular in private residences, debuting in America in 1930 in the New York apartment of architect Philip Johnson, who had met Mies during his work on the German Pavilion in Spain.
Fleeing the Nazis’ rise to power in Germany, Mies, too, soon moved to the United States. He relocated to Chicago, where he became the director of the Illinois Institute of Technology in 1938. It was there that he met designer Florence Knoll, who would help bring the Barcelona chair into mass production.
The earliest models of the Barcelona chair from Knoll were released in 1947. The design company and furniture manufacturer made slight updates to the chair over the years in response to new technology, including in 1964 changing the frame to stainless steel. Prevalent in office lobbies and architects’ homes, the Barcelona chair has seen numerous imitators, so in 2004 Knoll finally received a federal trade dress protection for it and four other pieces by Mies.
Knoll continues to produce the chair, and although the 21st-century version differs slightly from the 1929 original, it still embodies Mies and Reich's vision of design elegance in its balance of function and form.
Ludwig Mies van der Rohe
Architect, furniture designer and educator, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe was a central figure in the advancement and promotion of modernist design and architectural theory and practice. Like Frank Lloyd Wright and Le Corbusier, he was a hugely influential presence in the field, who shaped the course of 20th-century architecture both through his buildings and his teaching of rationalist design principles.
Born in the medieval German city of Aachen, Mies found an interest in architecture as a boy while working for his father, a master stonemason. He had no formal education as an architect, but learned his skills as an apprentice to the designer Bruno Paul, and as a staffer in the office the proto-modernist architect and designer Peter Behrens. Following World War I, Mies rose to prominence in his field amid the liberal atmosphere of the Weimar Republic. His reputation was secured by his work on the German Pavilion at the 1929 International Exposition in Barcelona (commonly referred to as the Barcelona Pavilion) — which Mies codesigned with Lilly Reich, his creative and romantic partner — a radically simple, poetic, open-plan building pared down to its architectural essentials. Mies would go on to direct the Bauhaus from 1930 until 1933, when Nazi-government interference forced the closure of the progressive art and design school. Later that decade, he made his way to Chicago, where he remained for the rest of his career as a practicing architect and a dean of the Illinois Institute of Technology.
Mies’s famed dictum “less is more” grew from his belief that architecture both guides and expresses the spirit of the times, and he envisioned the 20th century as open-minded, logical, transparent and liberated by technology. His best-known buildings — residences such as the Villa Tugendhat in Czechoslovakia and the Farnsworth House in rural Illinois; skyscrapers like the 860–880 Lake Shore Drive apartment towers in Chicago and the Seagram Building in New York — reflect that philosophy. As do the most famous furniture designs authored by him or codesigned with Reich.
Pieces designed by Mies and Reich such as the Barcelona chair (the authorized version is produced by Knoll today), stools and daybed, or the cantilevered Brno chairs, deliver a maximum of comfort and support from a minimum of materials: their “lavishness” derives from the precision with which they are engineered and constructed. For the collector, the allure of Mies’s furniture is at once practical and idealistic. Useful and functional, his works embody the highest aspirations of modernism.
Find vintage Mies van der Rohe chairs, tables and other furniture on 1stDibs.
- Mario Bellini for Cassina 'Cab 414' Leather Lounge Chair, Signed, circa 1980sBy Cassina, Mario BelliniLocated in Los Angeles, CAA beautiful black leather Mario Bellini Cab lounge chair, Model #414, signed Cassina, designed in the 1970s. These fine examples of the cab line by Mario Bellini for Cassina are classic staples for luxury interior designers and collectors alike, these lounge variations of the design are larger and deeper than the similar dining armchair, and have the addition of the seat cushion. Signed underneath with Cassina embossing to the leather. Mario Bellini described the 1970s bestselling design for the Cab collection as “This was a new kind of chair, constructed totally out of leather, much cloned since then.” and is now a signature piece in Cassina’s Contemporanei collection. Cab was the first-ever chair to feature a free-standing leather structure, inspired by how our skin fits over our skeleton. The upholstery consists of sixteen pieces of saddle leather. They then undergo fourteen discrete procedures, again by hand. The pieces are sewn together only when their outer edges have been trimmed to ensure a perfect fit. Once assembled, the cover is attached to the chair’s steel skeleton and held in place by means of a zipper fastening as in a bespoke tailored...Category
Vintage 1980s Italian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsSteel
$3,350 Sale Price23% Off - 'President' Fiberglass Lounge Chairs by Steen Ostergaard for Cado, 1968, SignedBy Steen Ostergaard, CadoLocated in Los Angeles, CAThis beautiful pair of rare 'President' Lounge chairs, Model #265 by Steen Ostergaard for Cado, Denmark (each chair signed with Cado embossed logo on frame), was designed in 1968 and produced at Krauss Maffei, Munich, Germany for a short time in limited quantities. For collectors of 1960s and 1970s Space Age, this is a sought-after and coveted design to have. Produced in fiberglass reinforced poly-amide nylon and is anti-static, full depth colored, and can not delaminate, and were cast in the largest injection mold in the world at the time. The head / neck rest is adjustable via the two dials on the back and can be raised or lowered to your desired setting. The President Lounge, which was part of the A-Line series, was prominently featured in many books, magazines and movies such as 'Star Trek' where it appears in Captain Kirk's 23rd century San Francisco apartment. ABOUT THE DESIGNER: Educated Cabinetmaker and Imagery Carver – Bronze Medal 1957. Graduated from the SCHOOL of ARTS & CRAFTS, Copenhagen, Denmark 1960, with certificate – Highest Marks. Officer in the Royal Danish Army 1960-1962. ACTIVITIES: Own Design offices in Denmark, respectively England, Germany and France. Main activities – Furniture design – Industrial Design – Professional product development. Designer and inventor of worlds first chair injection moulded in one piece. Developer and designer of the first Action Recliner furniture...Category
Vintage 1960s German Space Age Lounge Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Fiberglass
$6,100 Sale Price / set36% Off - Cognac Leather Lounge Chairs by Mathias Hoffmann for De Sede, 1980s, SignedBy Mathias Hoffmann, De SedeLocated in Los Angeles, CAThis incredible pair of Matthias Hoffman for De Sede, Switzerland, model DS-264 lounge chairs, circa 1980s, features gorgeous cognac color leather and aluminum legs. Signed on underside with branded De Sede fabric. *Priced for the pair, contact us if you wish to purchase a single chair only. Classic Post-Modern design, comfortable chairs with the quality construction that 1980s De Sede was known for, encapsulating the term 'they don't make them like they used to' - these chairs have lasted decades and can continue for decades longer. Try finding a set of lounge chairs from today's production that can last the test of time. These Matthias Hoffman for De Sede easy chairs...Category
Vintage 1980s Swiss Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsLeather
$3,500 Sale Price / set27% Off - 'Joe' Lounge Chair by De Pas, D’Urbino, Lomazzi for Poltronova, 1970s, SignedBy Poltronova, Gionathan de Pas & Donato D’Urbino & Paolo LomazziLocated in Los Angeles, CAThis beautiful patinated leather "Joe" lounge chair by De Pas, D’Urbino, Lomazzi for Poltronova is covered in a gorgeous and soft light brown / ...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Modern Club Chairs
MaterialsLeather
$6,900 Sale Price37% Off - Pair of Leather and Chromed Steel Art Deco Style Club ChairsBy Cassina, Le Corbusier, Pierre Jeanneret, Charlotte Perriand CassinaLocated in Los Angeles, CAWe normally do not deal with items produced in the last 20 to 30 years, however this pair of leather and chromed steel art deco style club chairs are extremely high quality and have ...Category
Early 2000s Unknown Art Deco Club Chairs
MaterialsSteel, Chrome
On Hold$6,800 / set - 'Titan' Oversized Club Chairs by Olivier Gagnère in Mohair, Leather, and BronzeBy Olivier GagnèreLocated in Los Angeles, CAThe pinnacle of luxury in size and materials, this pair of oversized 'Titan' club chairs by famed French designer Olivier Gagnère featuring luxurious mohair, supple very-high-quality...Category
1990s French Modern Club Chairs
MaterialsBronze
- Barcelona Lounge Chair With Ottoman By KnollBy Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, KnollLocated in Oud Beijerland, NLVery nice Barcelona chair and ottoman by Mies van der Rohe, fabricated in the 70's by Knoll. Produced in black leather with a very solid polished stainless frame. The black leather...Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsStainless Steel
$4,661 / set - Eggplant Leather Barcelona Chair and Ottoman by Mies Van Der Rohe for KnollBy Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, KnollLocated in Dorchester, MADesigned in 1929, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe's Barcelona chair remains an icon of modernist chair design. This chair and ottoman, later Knoll productions, feature hand-polished premium...Category
20th Century American Bauhaus Lounge Chairs
MaterialsStainless Steel
- Pair Barcelona Chairs, Black Leather and Stainless Steel, Mies for Knoll, SignedBy Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, KnollLocated in Kansas City, MOAll original timeless classic pair of black leather and hand polished stainless steel Barcelona chairs. Designed by Mies van de Rohe in 1929, this pair was produced in the 1970s. Ver...Category
Vintage 1970s American Bauhaus Lounge Chairs
MaterialsStainless Steel
- Jehs and Laub for Knoll ChairBy Jehs+Laub 1, KnollLocated in West Palm Beach, FLJehs and Laub pedestal base lounge chair. Floor sample.Category
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Lounge Chairs
- Pair of Knoll Black Leather & Stainless Steel Barcelona Chairs, SignedBy Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, KnollLocated in Kansas City, MOPair / Two black leather and stainless steel Barcelona Chairs designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and produced by Knoll. Each example is signed with the Knoll Studio markings. Very few signs of use...Category
Early 2000s American Bauhaus Lounge Chairs
MaterialsStainless Steel
- Mies van der Rohe for Knoll Barcelona Chair and StoolBy Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, KnollLocated in Dallas, TXMies van der Rohe's iconic Barcelona chair with stool. Stamped Knoll.Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsMetal