Fauteuil Transatlantic
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 the 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 cantilevered floating seat, 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
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Titles |
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| Materials and techniques | Pencil on paper |
| Brief description | Design for armchair 'Fauteuil Transatlantic' or 'Transat Chair' by Eileen Gray, pencil on paper, France, 1927 |
| Physical description | Design, in pencil on paper, side elevation and plan, for an armchair with a curved seat suspended on a frame. Scale 1:5. |
| Dimensions |
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| Credit line | Given by Prunella Clough |
| Object history | The transat chair was designed for the Villa E 1027 in Roquebrune on the Cote d'Azur. First drawings of the chair date back to 1924; it was patended in 1927. Eileen Gray was inspired to this design by the desk chairs used on the transatlantic passenger ships. |
| Subject depicted | |
| Summary | This is a prime example of Eileen Gray's distinctive sharp and linear drawing style. It emphasises the straight lines of the 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 cantilevered floating seat, 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) |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | E.1130-1983 |
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| Record created | September 8, 2008 |
| Record URL |
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