Armchair
1936 (designed and made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This armchair was part of a range of furniture designed for a north London flat commissioned by Mrs Dora Ventris in advanced modernist style from the Hungarian-born, former Bauhaus teacher Marcel Breuer. The flat was located in a tall building designed by architect Berthold Lubetkin, and his firm Tecton, known as ‘Highpoint’. Built-in and free-standing furniture was designed by Breuer to organize the space, including a pair of these chairs and a matching sofa. They were made in Bristol from large, cut-out sheets of plywood for the frame and moulded plywood armrests. Their organic, curvilinear geometry represented a departure from the severe rectilinear geometry of Breuer’s earlier work on the Continent. The cut-out elements were simple and relatively inexpensive to cut, also representing a departure from Breuer moulded plywood furniture.
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 2 parts.
|
| Materials and techniques | sycamore veneered plywood |
| Brief description | Armchair, designed by Marcel Breuer, made by P.E.Gane Ltd for Isokon, 1935, England |
| Physical description | Armchair made of sycamore-veneered plywood (9 ply) with rectangular seat and back cushions. Side panels have loop design forming both armrests and shelving. |
| Dimensions |
|
| Style | |
| Production type | Unique |
| Gallery label | Armchair
1936
Marcel Breuer (1902–81)
England
Made by P.E. Gane Ltd for Isokon Furniture Company, Bristol
Sycamore veneered plywood (9 ply)
Upholstery: sprung under-upholstery (original) with wool top cover (replaced)
Designed for the Ventris apartment, Highpoint, Highgate, London
Purchased through the Art Fund
Museum no. W.22:1-2003
The side panels of this chair are cut, following a template, from pre-purchased, flat sheets of plywood. This is a cheap process that can be done in any workshop and does not require expensive moulds or tooling. The cutting was done using an electric saw, a recessing machine or a spindle moulder. Today it would be done using a standard, lightweight router. (01/12/2012) |
| Credit line | Purchased with Art Fund support |
| Production | Reason For Production: Commission |
| Summary | This armchair was part of a range of furniture designed for a north London flat commissioned by Mrs Dora Ventris in advanced modernist style from the Hungarian-born, former Bauhaus teacher Marcel Breuer. The flat was located in a tall building designed by architect Berthold Lubetkin, and his firm Tecton, known as ‘Highpoint’. Built-in and free-standing furniture was designed by Breuer to organize the space, including a pair of these chairs and a matching sofa. They were made in Bristol from large, cut-out sheets of plywood for the frame and moulded plywood armrests. Their organic, curvilinear geometry represented a departure from the severe rectilinear geometry of Breuer’s earlier work on the Continent. The cut-out elements were simple and relatively inexpensive to cut, also representing a departure from Breuer moulded plywood furniture. |
| Bibliographic reference | 'Flat at Highpoint, Highgate. Furniture and Decoration by Marcel Breuer and F.R.S. Yorke', Architectural Review Supplement, (vol LXXXI), April 1937, pp.192-194. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | W.22:1, 2-2003 |
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| Record created | July 22, 2004 |
| Record URL |
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