Fat Chair
Armchair
1991 (designed), 1992 (made)
1991 (designed), 1992 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Tom Dixon emerged as one of Britain's most innovative designers through his work in the eighties with Creative Salvage, a group dedicated to producing furniture and decorative objects made from scrap metal.
His London workshop produced limited editions of furniture, while some of his designs were produced commercially by the Italian manufacturer Cappellini. This chair was bought by the V & A as an example of Dixon's furniture in mass production, as opposed to the hand finished products from his own workshop (see W.6-1993). In 1998 Dixon was appointed Head of Design at Habitat, the furniture store chain started by Terence Conran in 1964.
Dixon had no formal training except lessons in welding. Hand crafting furniture from welded steel was central to Tom Dixon's work. This chair was originally designed as part of a small, made to order series. Working alongside the manufacturer, Dixon adapted this design for a wider market.
The hand-made ethos of Dixon's furniture remains in the continued use of rush upholstery. On this model, the rush work is produced by machine, rather than by hand as can be seen on his ‘S-Chair’.
His London workshop produced limited editions of furniture, while some of his designs were produced commercially by the Italian manufacturer Cappellini. This chair was bought by the V & A as an example of Dixon's furniture in mass production, as opposed to the hand finished products from his own workshop (see W.6-1993). In 1998 Dixon was appointed Head of Design at Habitat, the furniture store chain started by Terence Conran in 1964.
Dixon had no formal training except lessons in welding. Hand crafting furniture from welded steel was central to Tom Dixon's work. This chair was originally designed as part of a small, made to order series. Working alongside the manufacturer, Dixon adapted this design for a wider market.
The hand-made ethos of Dixon's furniture remains in the continued use of rush upholstery. On this model, the rush work is produced by machine, rather than by hand as can be seen on his ‘S-Chair’.
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Fat Chair (assigned by artist) |
| Materials and techniques | Steel rod with rush upholstery |
| Brief description | Tom Dixon, Fat Chair, 1991, man. Cappellini 1992 |
| Physical description | Steel rod with rush upholstery |
| Dimensions |
|
| Gallery label |
|
| Credit line | Gift of the manufacturer |
| Object history | This chair was collected as an example of Dixon's furniture in mass production, as opposed to hand finished products from his own workshop (see W.6-1993). |
| Summary | Tom Dixon emerged as one of Britain's most innovative designers through his work in the eighties with Creative Salvage, a group dedicated to producing furniture and decorative objects made from scrap metal. His London workshop produced limited editions of furniture, while some of his designs were produced commercially by the Italian manufacturer Cappellini. This chair was bought by the V & A as an example of Dixon's furniture in mass production, as opposed to the hand finished products from his own workshop (see W.6-1993). In 1998 Dixon was appointed Head of Design at Habitat, the furniture store chain started by Terence Conran in 1964. Dixon had no formal training except lessons in welding. Hand crafting furniture from welded steel was central to Tom Dixon's work. This chair was originally designed as part of a small, made to order series. Working alongside the manufacturer, Dixon adapted this design for a wider market. The hand-made ethos of Dixon's furniture remains in the continued use of rush upholstery. On this model, the rush work is produced by machine, rather than by hand as can be seen on his ‘S-Chair’. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | W.5-1993 |
About this object record
Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
| Record created | November 1, 2001 |
| Record URL |
Download as: JSON
