Model 4801
Chair
1963 (designed), 1964-70 (Manufactured)
1963 (designed), 1964-70 (Manufactured)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
At first glance the glossy surface and bright colour might make you think this chair is made of plastic, especially since both the designer and the manufacturer are well-known for their 1960s plastic furniture. In fact, the chair is made of just three bent and pressed plywood elements simply slotted together. Any sense of the material as wood is obliterated by the coat of polyester varnish, making it appear entirely synthetic.
Kartell was founded by Giulio Castelli, a chemical engineer, in 1949 and was at the forefront of plastics technology. In 1964 Kartell first produced this chair and the first all-plastic chair, also designed by Colombo. This chair, therefore, sits at the cusp of the shift away from plywood (the material-of-choice for advanced designers since the 1930s) towards the new plastics. In this chair, the old technology is masquerading as the new technique.
Kartell was founded by Giulio Castelli, a chemical engineer, in 1949 and was at the forefront of plastics technology. In 1964 Kartell first produced this chair and the first all-plastic chair, also designed by Colombo. This chair, therefore, sits at the cusp of the shift away from plywood (the material-of-choice for advanced designers since the 1930s) towards the new plastics. In this chair, the old technology is masquerading as the new technique.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Model 4801 (manufacturer's title) |
| Materials and techniques | Moulded plywood with pigmented polyester varnish, rubber spacers |
| Brief description | Chair, model 4801, designed by Joe Colombo, 1963, manufactured by Kartell, Italy, 1964-70, bent and pressed plywood, orange polyester varnish |
| Physical description | Chair formed from three bent and pressed plywood elements slotted together using rubber spacers. The whole is painted with orange polyester varnish during a highly industrialised process requiring the combined spraying of a catalyst and the pigmented polyester which mix at the nozzle. The finish is then buffed when dry. |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Gallery label |
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| Summary | At first glance the glossy surface and bright colour might make you think this chair is made of plastic, especially since both the designer and the manufacturer are well-known for their 1960s plastic furniture. In fact, the chair is made of just three bent and pressed plywood elements simply slotted together. Any sense of the material as wood is obliterated by the coat of polyester varnish, making it appear entirely synthetic. Kartell was founded by Giulio Castelli, a chemical engineer, in 1949 and was at the forefront of plastics technology. In 1964 Kartell first produced this chair and the first all-plastic chair, also designed by Colombo. This chair, therefore, sits at the cusp of the shift away from plywood (the material-of-choice for advanced designers since the 1930s) towards the new plastics. In this chair, the old technology is masquerading as the new technique. |
| Bibliographic reference | Modern chairs 1918-1970, London, Lund Humphries, 1971 |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | CIRC.214-1970 |
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| Record created | April 27, 2007 |
| Record URL |
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