Marcel breuer, a hungarian furniture maker and architect who studied at the bauhaus and became one of its most important faculty members, was among the first to use tubular steel in chairs. Marcel lajos breuer 21 may 1902 pecs, hungary 1 july 1981 new york city, architect and furniture designer, was an influential hungarianborn modernist of. Cars, furniture, architecture how tatra car seating inspired. It was named cesca as a tribute to breuers adopted daughter francesca nicknamed cheska. Marcel breuer 19021981 was a hungarianborn modernist architect and furniture designer. The marcel breuer papers span the years 1920 to 1986 and measure 37. The many lives of a very common chair the new york times. Breuer designed the chair at the age of the 23, while still an apprentice at the famed bauhaus in. Marcel breuer headed the furniture workshop at the bauhaus from 1925 to 1928. Here is how robert mccarter puts it in our new breuer book. The cantilevered form exploits the possibilities unique to the material and gives the chair added flexibility and comfort. Mid century modern cesca chair design in 1928 by marcel breuer, b 64 italian cesca.
Breuer first studied art in vienna after winning a scholarship. Designed in 1928, marcel breuers cesca chair married traditional craftsmanship with industrial methods and materials to help make tubular steel furniture an international sensation and a modern institution. Mar, 2021 this is the 1st series of cesca chairs made by the gavina spa company of san lazzaro di savena italy in the late 1960s, they are now hard to find. Marcel breuer, in full marcel lajos breuer, born may 21, 1902, pecs, hungarydied july 1, 1981, new york city, new york, u. How marcel breuer and his bike changed the chair design. Knoll introduced the cesca chair in 1968 following its acquisition of gavina group an italian furniture. The model b3 was a cuttingedge design that used the simplest and most modern materials available at the time. Above, marcel breuer s revolutionary cesca chair, designed in 1928, mixes caning and wood with the industrialage aesthetic of cantilevered tubular steel. Since 1928, when michael thonet manufactured model b32, as the. The cesca chair was a chair design in 1928 by marcel breuer, using tubular steel. They consist of biographical material, correspondence, business and financial records, interviews, notes, writings, sketches, project files, exhibition files, photographs, and printed material that document breuer s career as an architect and. The materials reflective surface was also touted as a hygienic virtue. Marcel breuer was a hungarianborn architect and furniture designer.
Wassily chair news newspapers books scholar jstor november 2016 learn how and when to remove this template. Ubiquitous but never boring, the cesca chair has defined casual elegance in the dining room since 1928. Supporting frame in mannesmanntype continuous tubular steel. More information a finding aid to the marcel breuer papers. Dec 26, 2020 marcel breuer first designed it which he named after his daughter, francesca in 1928, and yet, in 2020, it still seems to be everywhere. Mid century modern cesca chair design in 1928 by marcel breuer. Marcel breuer for thonet, lounge chair b35 with ottoman, leather and tubular steel by germany, 1928. Marcel breuer, thonet early b35 lounge chair 19281929. An original b32 model is in the collection of the museum of modern art in new york city even today, you can buy them, because breuer never took a patent on the design. The chair came to be as an act of reduction, stripping the classic club chair down to its most elemental parts so that its function and form are one.
How marcel breuer and his bike changed the chair design phaidon. Timeless examples of bauhaus design still relevant and. The wassily chair, was originally known as the model b3 chair, was a club chair designed by marcel breuer, aged only 24, in 19251926 while he was the head of the cabinetmaking and joinery workshop at the bauhaus, in dessau, germany. At the bauhaus he designed the wassily chair and the cesca chair which is among the 10 most important chairs of the 20 th century. On may 3rd the barbican in london will be holding an exhibition titled bauhaus. Spanning the years 1920 to 1986, the papers include correspondence, interviews, writings, project files, photographs, financial records, and printed material documenting breuer s career as an architect and designer. The b35 by marcel breuer exists of a cantilevered chair and matching ottoman. About marcel breuer, bauhaus architect and designer. Important art by marcel breuer club chair model b3 19271928 made of leather and cantilevered steel, the wassily chair has become one of the worlds most enduring and iconic pieces of furniture. Marcel adios breuer was a hungarianborn modernist architect, and furniture designer. The structure is at once natural and industrial, striking a balance with its cane rattan seat and back and its trademark frame, inspired by that of a bicycle.
Marcel breuer cognac leather lounge chair with ottoman. Breuer had explored the strength and lightness of tubular metal with the wassily chair in 1926. By his own account, it was bicycle handlebars that inspired breuer to create his tubular steel chair. Throughout his life, breuer used his first name only on official documents and preferred that his friends use his middle name, the hungarian form of louis. Breuer barcounter, modern classics, tables, multipurpose.
Marcel breuers cesca chair marries traditional craftsmanship with industrial materials. By 1930 he, along with his cousin pierre jeanneret and fellow architect charlotte perriand, had launched a line of furniture under the le corbusier name. The cesca chair, designed in 1928 by marcel breuer. Original drawings for the marcel breuer coloring book. In 1968, dino gavina in new york convinced marcel breuer to put the cesca chair, which he had designed in 1928, into production. Mart stam, cantilever chair in gas tubing, 1926, recreated 1985. The chair, based on a 1920s design by marcel breuer, has a.
Since then, approximately 250,000 of the chairs have been purchased. So much so, in fact, that attempts to patent breuers cantilevered chair design of 1928 were rejected, based. Breuer the wassily chair in 192526 and the cesca chair in 1928. The legendary designer had been inspired by the steel frame of his adler bicycle, which heavily influenced the tubular frame. See more ideas about marcel breuer, marcel, brutalist architecture. Lotart marcel breuer gavina chair cesca 1st series. Marcel breuer cesca chair replacement cane back in honey made in italy. In 1928, it was the first such tubularsteel frame caned seat type of chair.
The cantilevered chair was his greatest commercial success, and its design continued to evolve, the frame becoming lighter, the seat and back more pliant and the lines softer. During that time, he designed the first tubular steel chair in the history of design. Breuer used new technologies and new materials in order to develop his international style of work. Best known for his iconic chair designs, breuer developed a thriving global. Furniture and interiors museum of modern art, 1981. The cesca chair trend is all over instagram domino. Marcel breuer the architect who shifted the bauhaus focus. Art as life which looks at the modern worlds most famous art school. The chair ranks as one of the highlights of interwar modernism, its use of moulded plywood anticipating the direction of postwwii furniture design and manufacture. More information a finding aid to the marcel breuer. Correspondents in this series include a wide range of international architects, designers, and artists who interacted with breuer. Amrswp secretariat office 28 acacia street corner rosario drive new manila, 1112 quezon city tels 02 7244434 02 4485644 fax. Since 1928, when michael thonet manufactured model b32, as the cesca. He was the head of a workshop at bauhaus, a german art school, when he designed the wassily chair 192526 and the cesca chair 1928.
The chair takes its popular name from that of breuer s daughter francesca. With a tubular steel frame that pairs with upholstery or natural materials, such as wood and cane, this cantilevered chair has been a beloved favorite in homes and restaurants since 1928. It will feature a rich array of design, sculpture, painting, architecture, film, photography, textiles and ceramics, basically it will be a must. Jul 03, 2019 you may recognize marcel breuer s wassily chair, but you know breuer s cesca, the bouncy metal tubular dining room chair with the often fake plastic cane seat and back. The cantilevered form exploits the possibilities unique. At the bauhaus he designed the wassily chair and the cesca chair which is among the 10 most important chairs of the 20th century. In 1928 breuer left the bauhaus and moved to berlin. Marcel breuer, tubular steel armchair, design 19251926. Marcel breuer architecture, bio, ideas theartstory.
The chair was first manufactured by michael thonet using a design by marcel breuer. The wassily chair, also known as the model b3 chair, was designed by marcel breuer in. Marcel breuer the architect who shifted the bauhaus. The marcel breuer papers were generously donated to the archives of american art between 1985 and 1999 by his widow, constance breuer.
The marcel breuer papers were generously donated to the archives of american art between 1985 and 1999 by his widow. Our marcel breuer cesca chair is the best quality breuer chair available on the market for a reasonable price. The long chair, with its bent frame of laminated birch wood supporting the shaped timber seat and back, was developed soon after marcel breuer settled in england in 1935. They consist of biographical material, correspondence, business and financial records, interviews, notes, writings, sketches, project files, exhibition files, photographs, and printed material that document breuer s career as an architect and designer. Breuer designed the chair at the age of the 23, while still an apprentice at the famed bauhaus in weimar, germany. Marcel breuer was an apprentice at the bauhaus in 1925 when he conceived the first tubular steel chair, the wassily chair, based on the tubed frame of a bicycle. Marcel breuer, b3 first prototype tubular steel chair, 1925. Shortly after finishing his design for the wassily chair, breuer.
One of the original cesca chairs is on display in the museum of modern art, manhattan. It was the first chair made with tubular steel and caned seating that was massproduced. The book is illustrated with photographs, drawings. The cantilevered form exploits the possibilities unique to the material and gives the. The 1928 steelandchrome cesca chair named after breuer s daughter is in almost every breakfast room today, as the thonet chair was in every cafe at the turn of the century. Designed by marcel breuer 190281 for the austrian furniture maker gebruder thonet, the cesca chair combines natural beechwood caning and modern tubular steel for a sensibility that celebrates both handicraft and industrialization. From ragowright, marcel breuer, thonet, early b35 lounge chair 1928 1929, wicker, chromeplated steel, lacquered wood, 31 34. The wassily chair is one of the most identifiable icons of modern furniture movement. Chair, model b32 1928 marcel breuer 190281 germany made by gebruder thonet, frankenberg, after 1930 chromiumplated tubular steel. Gently used marcel breuer furniture up to 50% off at chairish. Breuer designed the cesca chair named after breuer s adopted daughter francesca nicknamed cheska in 1928. The books and articles below constitute a bibliography of the sources used. The chair holds long armrests that bend slightly towards the end. Marcel lajos breuer was born in pecs, hungary in 1902, and became on of the greatest architects and furniture designers of the 20th century.
Important art by marcel breuer club chair model b3 1927 1928 made of leather and cantilevered steel, the wassily chair has become one of the worlds most enduring and iconic pieces of furniture. Marcel breuer designed the cesca stool in 1928 with the interest of comfort in mind. Like his progressive wassily chair 1925, the cesca stool is constructed of tubular steel. Mar 16, 2015 lc7 swivel chair from the complete book of decorating, 1976, by corinne benicka in 1928 he teamed up with a couple of pals and began experimenting with furniture design. Iconic designer chairs everyone should know artland magazine. Interesting mix of materials marcel breuer s cesca chair is a poetic blend of contrasts. In 1968 the chair was purchased by knoll associates today known as the knoll group. Marcel breuer 1928 marcel breuer married traditional craftsmanship with industrial methods and materials to help make tubular steel furniture an international sensation and a modern institution.
He is presently working on a book about the architecture. Breuers bohemia is accompanied by a companion book to be published september 14, 2021 by the monacelli press. The most striking result was the cantilevered chair, such as the b33 by marcel breuer. Knoll is the only allowed and licensed manufacturer of the wassily chair. Three years after designing his iconic wassily chair, which is believed to be the first bent tubular steel chair design, marcel breuer created the cesca chair 1928. This lounge chair is executed in cognac leather and tubular steel.
843 1228 867 1093 1408 410 680 849 630 1670 320 663 1152 1394 1300 1182 550 1484 1366 1000 417 352 802 1304 1115 1597 1226 437