Garden Egg Chair
Chair
1968 (designed), 1971 (manufactured)
1968 (designed), 1971 (manufactured)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
The Hungarian émigré designer Peter Ghyczy designed this chair in 1968 when he was working for a polyurethane factory, Elastogran GmbH, in Lemförde, West Germany. It fully exploited the materials made by the factory, as the shell is moulded entirely from polyurethane. The chair was intended for use in the garden, and the folding lid protected the upholstery from the weather when it was not in use.
The West German manufacturer licensed production to an East German company, VEB Synthesewerk Schwarzheide near Senftenberg. It was mass-produced for only three years because the lacquering of the shell remained problematic and, at 430 DM, it was too expensive for the East German market. This example, acquired from the designer, is date stamped 9 June 1971, telling us it was a prototype made in West Germany before the licence to manufacture it in the East was signed.
The West German manufacturer licensed production to an East German company, VEB Synthesewerk Schwarzheide near Senftenberg. It was mass-produced for only three years because the lacquering of the shell remained problematic and, at 430 DM, it was too expensive for the East German market. This example, acquired from the designer, is date stamped 9 June 1971, telling us it was a prototype made in West Germany before the licence to manufacture it in the East was signed.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Garden Egg Chair (assigned by artist) |
| Materials and techniques | Lacquered, moulded polyurethane with synthetic textile upholstery over polyurethane foam padding |
| Brief description | Garden Egg Chair, designed by Peter Ghyczy, 1968, manufactured by Elastogran, Germany, 1971; yellow lacquered polyurethane, synthetic textile and polyurethane upholstery |
| Physical description | Yellow plastic oval egg-shaped chair with hinged top to reveal a yellow upholstered interior |
| Dimensions |
|
| Production type | Prototype |
| Marks and inscriptions | 'In Ordnung / Abt. QK / 9 Juni 1971' (Stamped on the underside of the chair) |
| Object history | Acquired from the designer's family |
| Production | The date stamp on the chair indicates that it was a prototype made by the West German polyurethane company Elastogran prior to mass production by VEB Synthesewerk Schwarzheide in East Germany Attribution note: see attribution note |
| Summary | The Hungarian émigré designer Peter Ghyczy designed this chair in 1968 when he was working for a polyurethane factory, Elastogran GmbH, in Lemförde, West Germany. It fully exploited the materials made by the factory, as the shell is moulded entirely from polyurethane. The chair was intended for use in the garden, and the folding lid protected the upholstery from the weather when it was not in use. The West German manufacturer licensed production to an East German company, VEB Synthesewerk Schwarzheide near Senftenberg. It was mass-produced for only three years because the lacquering of the shell remained problematic and, at 430 DM, it was too expensive for the East German market. This example, acquired from the designer, is date stamped 9 June 1971, telling us it was a prototype made in West Germany before the licence to manufacture it in the East was signed. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | W.8-2007 |
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| Record created | July 6, 2007 |
| Record URL |
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