Design for Transat Chair, 1927. Side elevation and plan, scale 1:5.
Design
1927 (made)
1927 (made)
| Artist/Maker |
This is a prime example of Eileen Gray's distinctive sharp and linear drawing style. It emphasises the straight lines of hte chair frame, which forms a contrast with the curve of the seat. The rigid lacquer frame, with chromed-steel fittings and padded leather seat, were distinctively Modern. Influenced by Mies van der Rohe's chrome-plated metal of chair of 1927, which was something of a revelation with its cantilvered floating seaet, Gray was one of the first designers to use chrome-plated metal.
As a practising architect, Gray was interested in developing the ideal Minimal Dwelling and was concerned that furniture should be flexible and convenient for the small urban home. As such, the 'Transat' could easily be folded and stored out of the way when not in use.
As a practising architect, Gray was interested in developing the ideal Minimal Dwelling and was concerned that furniture should be flexible and convenient for the small urban home. As such, the 'Transat' could easily be folded and stored out of the way when not in use.
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | pencil |
| Brief description | Design for Transat Chair by Eileen Gray. 1927. |
| Physical description | Design for Transat Chair. 1927. Side elevation and plan, scale 1:5. Pencil. |
| Dimensions |
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| Credit line | Given by Prunella Clough |
| Object history | Eileen Gray continued developing her designs all her life and many of her drawings are reworkings and extensions of her original ideas of the 1920s and 1930s. This, combined with her frequest re-use of old paper, makes dating of many of the designs very tentative. See Stewart Johnson Eileen Gray: Designer 1879-1976, 1978. There are architectural drawings by the artist in the Archive of Art and Design. |
| Subject depicted | |
| Summary | This is a prime example of Eileen Gray's distinctive sharp and linear drawing style. It emphasises the straight lines of hte chair frame, which forms a contrast with the curve of the seat. The rigid lacquer frame, with chromed-steel fittings and padded leather seat, were distinctively Modern. Influenced by Mies van der Rohe's chrome-plated metal of chair of 1927, which was something of a revelation with its cantilvered floating seaet, Gray was one of the first designers to use chrome-plated metal. As a practising architect, Gray was interested in developing the ideal Minimal Dwelling and was concerned that furniture should be flexible and convenient for the small urban home. As such, the 'Transat' could easily be folded and stored out of the way when not in use. |
| Associated object | CIRC.578-1971 (Object) |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | E.1130-1983 |
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| Record created | September 8, 2008 |
| Record URL |
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