Breuer Metallmöbel
Brochure
ca. 1927 (published)
ca. 1927 (published)
Artist/Maker | |
Place of origin |
This was the first catalogue published by Standard-Möbel, the firm founded in 1927 by Marcel Breuer and his Hungarian compatriot Kalman Lengyel to manufacture Breuer's recent tubular-steel furniture designs. The product line included a modest number of items: theatre seating, the Club Chair, a folding club chair, two versions of an armless chair, a swivel desk chair and a stool.
The catalogue was designed by Breuer's close friend Bayer and printed at the Bauhaus. The photograph of a female figure sitting in the chair is a type used in numerous Bauhaus photographs of the period. Bayer's transformation of the photograph into a negative image gives the catalogue the feel of an X-ray, precisely the objective, rational, scientific association that Modernist designers sought. The text (in sans-serif type) points out the many flexible and resilient, and hence soft and supportive, textile elements of the club chair depicted.
Standard-Möbel must have been a very small company, which made furniture by hand in small batches rather than manufacturing in any quantity. It may have ORIGINALLY consisted only of Breuer, Lengyel (as business manager and occasional designer) and one craftsman. It was not a commercial success. Breuer sold his stake in Standard to Lengyel after barely more than a year, and in April 1929 the firm was sold to the Thonet company.
The catalogue was designed by Breuer's close friend Bayer and printed at the Bauhaus. The photograph of a female figure sitting in the chair is a type used in numerous Bauhaus photographs of the period. Bayer's transformation of the photograph into a negative image gives the catalogue the feel of an X-ray, precisely the objective, rational, scientific association that Modernist designers sought. The text (in sans-serif type) points out the many flexible and resilient, and hence soft and supportive, textile elements of the club chair depicted.
Standard-Möbel must have been a very small company, which made furniture by hand in small batches rather than manufacturing in any quantity. It may have ORIGINALLY consisted only of Breuer, Lengyel (as business manager and occasional designer) and one craftsman. It was not a commercial success. Breuer sold his stake in Standard to Lengyel after barely more than a year, and in April 1929 the firm was sold to the Thonet company.
Object details
Categories | |
Object type | |
Title | Breuer Metallmöbel |
Materials and techniques | Half-tone and letterpress on paper |
Brief description | 'Breuer Metallmöbel', leaflet designed by Herbert Bayer. Printed by the Bauhaus Press. Half-tone and letterpress on paper, German, ca. 1927 |
Physical description | Brochure with a black and white image of a person sitting on a chair. One folded sheet. |
Dimensions |
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Style | |
Gallery label | This is a catalogue designed by Bayer in 1927 for tubular steel furniture designed by Marcel Breuer. The typography is by Bayer and the photograph by Erich Consemüller. From 1925 to 1928, Bayer taught typography and advertising at the Dessau Bauhaus where his work was characterised by the integration of typography and photography.(circa 2000-2019) |
Production | Printed by the Bauhaus Press |
Subjects depicted | |
Summary | This was the first catalogue published by Standard-Möbel, the firm founded in 1927 by Marcel Breuer and his Hungarian compatriot Kalman Lengyel to manufacture Breuer's recent tubular-steel furniture designs. The product line included a modest number of items: theatre seating, the Club Chair, a folding club chair, two versions of an armless chair, a swivel desk chair and a stool. The catalogue was designed by Breuer's close friend Bayer and printed at the Bauhaus. The photograph of a female figure sitting in the chair is a type used in numerous Bauhaus photographs of the period. Bayer's transformation of the photograph into a negative image gives the catalogue the feel of an X-ray, precisely the objective, rational, scientific association that Modernist designers sought. The text (in sans-serif type) points out the many flexible and resilient, and hence soft and supportive, textile elements of the club chair depicted. Standard-Möbel must have been a very small company, which made furniture by hand in small batches rather than manufacturing in any quantity. It may have ORIGINALLY consisted only of Breuer, Lengyel (as business manager and occasional designer) and one craftsman. It was not a commercial success. Breuer sold his stake in Standard to Lengyel after barely more than a year, and in April 1929 the firm was sold to the Thonet company. |
Bibliographic references |
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Collection | |
Accession number | E.1483-1984 |
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Record created | June 27, 2005 |
Record URL |
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