Frank Gehry Cardboard Stool, Vitra, deconstructivist, Easy Edges, Irwin, 1972
View Similar Items
Frank Gehry Cardboard Stool, Vitra, deconstructivist, Easy Edges, Irwin, 1972
About the Item
- Creator:Frank Gehry (Designer),Vitra (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 21.26 in (54 cm)Width: 26.19 in (66.5 cm)Depth: 18.12 in (46 cm)Seat Height: 21.26 in (54 cm)
- Style:Organic Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1972
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Antwerp, BE
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU933426514692
Frank Gehry
With magnificent buildings such as the Guggenheim Bilbao, Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles and the new Foundation Louis Vuitton in Paris, Frank Gehry has changed the nature and spirit of contemporary architecture. Yet the world’s best-known living architect has also enjoyed a prolific career as a designer of artful and functional objects, ranging from furniture to jewelry, that even at smaller scale are as lively and captivating as his architectural designs.
Gehry was born in Toronto and moved with his family to Los Angeles in 1947. He received a degree in architecture from the University of Southern California in 1954 and — after several years of casting about that included a stint in the U.S. Army and studies at Harvard — Gehry opened his architectural practice in L.A. in 1962.
Idiosyncratic renovations to his small, traditional house in Santa Monica — such as cladding portions of the exterior in chain-link fencing and corrugated metal — drew attention to Gehry in architectural circles. Corporate and institutional commissions added to his reputation, culminating in the global acclaim that greeted the opening of the Guggenheim Bilbao in 1997. But the combination of visual dynamism and structural integrity expressed by that building had been evident for decades in Gehry’s designs. In 1972 he introduced a much-admired line of furniture he called Easy Edges. The curves and flowing lines of the pieces, which include the Wiggle chair, seem antithetical to the material are made from: cardboard — a presumably flimsy material that, when stacked, laminated and folded, is actually extraordinarily sturdy.
Many of Gehry’s designs feature an abstracted fish motif. For the architect, it is a symbol of vitality, strength and flexibility. The fish appears in a group of 1982 plastic lamps created for Formica (and exhibited by the Jewish Museum in New York in 2010). Gehry used the motif in crystal goblets for Swid Powell (1990), his Pito kettle for Alessi (1992) and as earrings for a 2006 jewelry collection for Tiffany that also includes torqued rings, necklaces and bangles.
Gehry returned to furniture design in 1992 with a remarkably energetic line of furniture for Knoll with frames and seating made of bent, lightweight wooden strops. (The pieces' names, such as Power Play and Cross Check, derive from ice hockey.) In 2004, Heller released a group of twisted, faceted furnishings in molded polyethylene meant to evoke Gehry’s architecture. But — whether its tableware, jewelry or furniture — all Gehry’s designs do that--sharing an animated aesthetic built on a solid foundational core. To possess a piece of Gehry design is to own one of his buildings, in miniature.
Find vintage Frank Gehry chairs, tables and other furniture on 1stDibs.
Vitra
Design house Vitra has garnered international recognition for more than 70 years — the Swiss family-owned furniture company has outfitted public spaces as well as residential properties and offices worldwide. It has been a proponent of modernist design since the 1950s. While the brand is heralded for its collaborations with mid-century modern icons such as Verner Panton, Charles and Ray Eames, Alexander Girard and others, Vitra’s German campus is also home to buildings designed by legendary architects Zaha Hadid and Frank Gehry. Among them is the Vitra Design Museum, an independent cultural institution that displays two centuries of design today.
Vitra was established in Weil Am Rhein, Germany, in 1950 by husband and wife team Willi and Erika Fehlbaum. On a trip to New York several years later, Willi Fehlbaum encountered the work of design polymaths Ray and Charles Eames in a furniture store and immediately knew that he had found his bliss.
In 1957, Vitra entered into a licensing agreement with Herman Miller, which saw the company producing designs by George Nelson, the Eameses and others. Later, Vitra partnered with Verner Panton and created the Panton chair, which was the first chair ever crafted from a single piece of molded plastic (it was also the first piece to be independently developed by Vitra). After 27 years of establishing the Vitra brand, the Fehlbaums passed control to their two sons, Rolf and Raymond Fehlbaum.
When a fire destroyed the factory in 1981, the brothers developed the Vitra Factory Campus, subsequently taking the opportunity to redirect the architectural landscape of the company. They created a masterplan with Nicholas Grimshaw, and together they erected four buildings in just a few short years.
In 1988, with the passing of Ray Eames and the disbandment of the Los Angeles Eames office, Rolf and Raymond acquired the furniture design portion of her estate, including the Eames prototypes and experimental models, housed today in the Vitra Design Museum.
Rolf and Roy opened the Vitra Design Museum in 1989. This began a period rich with design relationships, including collaborations with Antonio Citterio, Jasper Morrison, Maarten van Severen, Philippe Starck, Alberto Meda and others.
In 2012, leadership passed to Nora, the third generation of the Fehlbaums. Nora Fehlbaum has, like her grandparents, expanded the company and brought it into the 21st century with the acquisition of Finnish furniture manufacturer Artek. Nora has turned the company’s focus to sustainability yet still maintains its international and cultural relevance legacy.
Find a collection of Vitra lounge chairs, tables, side chairs, sofas and other furniture on 1stDibs.
- Cognac Mid-Century Modern Stool, France, 1950sLocated in Antwerp, BEMid-century modern stool, crafted in France during the 1950s. The design boasts a sturdy framework composed of elegantly shaped wooden cylinders, ensuring exceptional comfort. The seating is adorned in a rich, dark cognac leather that showcases a remarkable patina, adding a touch of timeless sophistication. We have one stool available, in perfect condition. Check out our Goldwood storefront for more mid-century pieces and complete the set with three cognac dining chairs.Category
Vintage 1950s French Mid-Century Modern Stools
MaterialsLeather, Wood
- Rustic Wabi Sabi Stool, Four Legged, France, 1940sLocated in Antwerp, BERustic; Wabi Sabi; Stool; Four-Legged; France; 1940s; Rustic wabi-sabi wooden stool with a four-legged base and an oval-shaped seat. With its remarkable patina, the design reminds...Category
Vintage 1940s French Rustic Stools
MaterialsWood
- Functional Art Chair / Stool "Plaster Whip" by Lionel JadotBy Lionel JadotLocated in Antwerp, BE"Plaster Whip" sculpture by Lionel Jadot A stool made of leftover plaster vats from a molding company, scrap metal, leather whips from the 1950s and a bodybuilder’s belt from the 1930s Collectible Design / Functional art , Lionel Jadot for Everyday Gallery, Belgium 2020 Born in Brussels in 1969, Lionel Jadot is an interior designer, artist, designer, filmmaker, adventurer. But all at once, preferably. Lionel Jadot is firing on all cylinders. ‘I never throw anything, I pick up everything. Not having a green thumb, I’m trying cuttings, weddings against nature. I never forget a line.’ He’s inviting us in subtle, off-beat worlds, on the edge of reality. Its material is made of dilated time. A wandering spirit, he seeks a protective balance in a hostile world. It is his constant questioning: what happens to the place where we live? For Lionel Jadot, everything is object, everything is history. He draws from other places, other times, and seeks what’s linking them. He sews, stitches, unpicks, blends materials, combines eras. He will enshrine some wood essence in metal, some mineral in a plant, the old in the new. ‘I take extra care to the joint between two materials.’ With him, there is always some play in the parts, as in a piece of machinery. From a kingdom to another, he provokes organic, viral growths, generating energy. Linking past and future, he never forgets a line. ‘I accumulate them.’ He’s inviting us in subtle worlds, off-beat, on the edge of reality. Are we in 1930 or in 2030? Both, no doubt. Its material is made of dilated time. The eye goes hand in hand with the ear. ‘When I walk into a place, I listen to the good (or bad) it does to me. An ineffable feeling.’ He recreates mutant buildings, like the future Royal Botanique, a 5 stars hotel housed in the Church of the Gesu, a former convent behind a 1940 façade. He talks about a ‘hotel object’, which he holds and turns around in his hand. A wandering spirit, he’s flirting with retro-futurism. The Jam, another hotel, is intended for urban travelers, fans of swiftness, fluidity and hospitality. He designs interiors as a set of objects: a motorcycle cut in concrete becomes a bar counter. He finds gothic cartoon echoes, from the likes of Moebius, Alejandro Jodorowsky, Enki Bilal, sets from Garage Hermétique and Blade Runner, a protective balance in a hostile world. Discovering Jadot’s little cosmos of collected and accumulated goods, it becomes clear that every element has its own story. I tried to collect them and in turn, devour them in the coming paragraphs. But first: the show is best experienced seated, barring the distinction between object of use and object of attention, they invite for different types of conversation. The seats, chairs, thrones all make us think of our own physical comportment, and of how the seat lends grandeur to the person sitting on it, by crowning its presence. The crackling floor, the felt walls and the diffuse light slow you down into an oddly absorbing environment, in which you are left puzzled. In the eclectic collages of objects, bits and pieces collected all over the world come together in ways practical, and logical, though possibly only in the artist’s mind. All his finds eventually seem to fall into place. Starting with the mere conception of a chair, rather than with a set-out plan or sketch, the works are intuitively construed out of an archive that one can only imagine the dimensions of. Things forgotten by others, precious for him, were all once designed for their own purpose. Here they find their fit as a base, a closing system or a balancing element. The first piece that opens the exhibition, the most throne-like of all seats in the show, builds around a chair of his grandmother, protected by mops, and harassed with bed springs. As you enter the space, you pass by a shell leaning over a yellow seat that stems from his old Mustang, and find a white stool piece with Mexican leather dog training whips— the white building blocks of which turn out to be dried molding material, as found and broken out of a bucket by workers every morning. Further, the stone piece that reminds one of the stone age, is indeed made of 400 million old rocks, and the soft seats are lent from construction, where these strokes of textile carry up the heaviest goods. In the corner — but as you walk this walk please be seated on any of the thrones and experience the work for a moment— the green fluffy cover is made by XXXX who remakes cartographies of warzones, one of which is here mounted on a flexible fishing chair. On an experience level, the conversation chair enhances self-confidence, while putting you literally in a good spot with the person you’re conversing with. The lamp perfectly shows the playful Cadavre Exquis...Category
2010s European Chairs
MaterialsLeather, Plaster
- Studio Furniture American Craft Stool Mid-century modern 1960s USABy Bobby FalwellLocated in Antwerp, BEWalnut stool, hand-crafted, studio craft, USA Wendell Castle, Roger sloan, JB Blunk, Jawar, Richard Bronk, Gerald Mccabe, Bobby Falwell, David Scott, Charles Fischer, Howard Osinski...Category
Vintage 1970s American Folk Art Stools
MaterialsWalnut
- Lionel Jadot Stools Everyday Gallery, Belgian Art and design, ContemporaryBy Lionel JadotLocated in Antwerp, BELionel Jadot; Stools; Everyday Gallery; Contemporary; Belgian design; Belgian Art; Gesmonite; Presented at Art Basel 2021, Everyday Gallery is thr...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Belgian Modern Stools
MaterialsPlastic
- Pierre Jeanneret Chandigarh Prototype Stool, Woven Linen Seating, India, 1960'sBy Pierre JeanneretLocated in Antwerp, BEPierre Jeanneret, Chandigarh stool, study model for Chandigarh, prototype piece, woven linen seating Designed by Corbusier cousin, Pierre Jeanneret, F...Category
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Stools
MaterialsLinen, Wood
- Vitra Frank Gehry "Easy Edges" Side Chair, 1970sBy Vitra, Frank GehryLocated in Los Angeles, CARare experimental corrugated cardboard side chair from the "Easy Edges" series, designed by Frank Gehry for Vitra, c. 1970s. This version is no longer in production. Gehry's experi...Category
Vintage 1970s Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsMasonite, Paper
- Frank Gehry 'Little Beaver' Cardboard Chair and Ottoman for Vitra, 1987 USABy Vitra, Frank GehryLocated in Los Angeles, CAExtremely rare 'Little Beaver' chair designed by Frank Gehry, produced by Vitra in 1987. Comes with matching ottoman. Vitra plaques on underside of both ...Category
Vintage 1980s American Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsMasonite, Paper
- Frank Gehry Easy Edges Chairs and OttomansBy Frank GehryLocated in Los Angeles, CAFrank Gehry pair of easy Edges chairs and ottomans. Easy Edges, Inc. Canada/USA, 1972. Laminated cardboard, masonite. Chair: 29¼ H × 23¼ W × 39 D in, ...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsMasonite, Paper
$13,000 / set - Frank Gehry Wiggle StoolBy Frank GehryLocated in Dronten, NLFrank Gehry Wiggle stool. Made of corrugated cardboard and hardboard to the edges. Labeled underneath, excellent condition. Frank Gehry is considered one of the most influential arc...Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Mid-Century Modern Stools
MaterialsOther
$1,850 - Mid Century Modern Vintage Cardboard Wiggle Side Chair by Frank O. Gehry, 1972By Frank GehryLocated in Vienna, ATA mid century modern vintage cardboard wiggle chair, which is a great design side chair by Frank O. Gehry, 1972 for Jack Brogan, USA 1972-1973. Reissued by Vitra from 1992 as Wiggle side chair...Category
Vintage 1970s Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsPaper
- Frank Gehry, "Contour" Rocker, Cardboard, Masonite, Easy Edges, Inc, 1970sBy Frank GehryLocated in High Point, NCAn early production "Contour" Rocker / Rocking Chaise, designed by architect Frank Gehry. Produced by Easy Edges, Inc, United States / Canada, 1970s. Produced in corrugated cardboard...Category
Vintage 1970s American Modern Rocking Chairs
MaterialsMasonite, Paper
Recently Viewed
View AllRead More
These New York Architects Love a Complicated Project
From Brooklyn townhouses to Maine campgrounds, Trattie Davies and Jonathan Toews relish a challenge, like transforming a former warehouse space into the new 1stdibs Gallery.
Is Lionel Jadot the Willy Wonka of Upcycled Belgian Design?
From his massive collaborative workshop in a former paper factory, the designer concocts funky furniture from disused materials, as well as luxe hotel interiors like the new Mix Brussels.