Chair
1962 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Stacking chair with natural birch frame in one piece round the back of the chair, splitting at seat level to become two angled legs at each side, with a bar across under the seat. The seat is moulded black plywood, with metal hinge plates, and can be folded up.
Description of V&A object from Hollis, R. 1970. Modern Chairs:1918-1970. The Whitechapel Art Gallery, London:
The seats need to be folded upwards first, but the chairs then make a compact horizontal stack which is completely stable, and which does not transfer any accumulation of weight from one end of the stack to the other. The makers have recently ceased manufacture of all furniture and the chair is not currently in production.
Description of V&A object from Hollis, R. 1970. Modern Chairs:1918-1970. The Whitechapel Art Gallery, London:
The seats need to be folded upwards first, but the chairs then make a compact horizontal stack which is completely stable, and which does not transfer any accumulation of weight from one end of the stack to the other. The makers have recently ceased manufacture of all furniture and the chair is not currently in production.
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | |
| Brief description | Stacking chair, 1962, designed by Carl Johan Boman, Manufactured by Wilhelm Schauman, Helsinki. Birch frame with moulded plywood folding seat, surfaced black. |
| Physical description | Stacking chair with natural birch frame in one piece round the back of the chair, splitting at seat level to become two angled legs at each side, with a bar across under the seat. The seat is moulded black plywood, with metal hinge plates, and can be folded up. Description of V&A object from Hollis, R. 1970. Modern Chairs:1918-1970. The Whitechapel Art Gallery, London: The seats need to be folded upwards first, but the chairs then make a compact horizontal stack which is completely stable, and which does not transfer any accumulation of weight from one end of the stack to the other. The makers have recently ceased manufacture of all furniture and the chair is not currently in production. |
| Dimensions |
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| Object history | Stacking chair, GF40/4, designed by David Rowland, 1964. Manufactured by the General Fireproofing Company, Youngstown, USA. Awarded the Grand Prix at the Triennale Exhibition in Milan 1964. The American Interior Design International Award in 1965, and a Gold Medal at the third International Furniture Exhibition in Vienna 1968. Description of V&A object from Hollis, R. 1970. Modern Chairs:1918-1970. The Whitechapel Art Gallery, London: Forty of these strong, rigid, fireproof and finely detailed chairs can be placed in a stack only four feet high overall – at a far greater density in fact than any comparable chair, either in current or imaginable production. It can be adapted for linked seating in rows, and the vinyl seat covering is offered in a range of six colours. It was awarded the Grand Prix at the Triennale Exhibition in Milan, in 1964; the American Interior Design International Award in 1965, and a Gold Medal at the third International Furniture Exhibition in Vienna 1968. Description of Craftsman from Hollis, R. 1970. Modern Chairs:1918-1970. The Whitechapel Art Gallery, London: David Rowland. Industrial designer, born Los Angeles. Trained Cranbrook Academy of Art, Michigan. Design assistant to Norman Bel Geddes; own office from 1954, New York; development of stacking chair over a period of eight years, 1956-64. Work exhibited Milan Triennale 1957, 1964(Gold Medal for GF 40/4 stacking chair) Les Assises Musee des Arts Decoratifs, Paris 1968 |
| Associated objects | |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | CIRC.406-1970 |
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| Record created | December 30, 2008 |
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