Charles Pollock Executive Armchair
View Similar Items
Charles Pollock Executive Armchair
About the Item
- Creator:Florence Knoll (Maker),Charles Pollock (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 32 in (81.28 cm)Width: 26 in (66.04 cm)Depth: 28 in (71.12 cm)Seat Height: 18.5 in (46.99 cm)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1974
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Los Angeles, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU84871325448
Charles Pollock
Charles Pollock was a renowned but reclusive furniture designer. He rarely spoke to the media and instead preferred to let his iconic designs speak for themselves. Pollock’s name is ubiquitous with mid-century modern office furniture — while vintage furniture obsessives know the office chairs he made for Knoll, he designed armchairs and lounge chairs for domestic interiors as well.
Pollock was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1930. When his family moved to Michigan, he attended Detroit's Cass Technical High School, whose alumni includes artist-designer Harry Bertoia. For his extraordinary work at Cass, Pollock earned a full scholarship to Pratt Institute in New York City.
Industrial designer Lucia DeRespinis had been a classmate of Pollock’s at Pratt and got a job in architect George Nelson’s studio after graduation. Nelson, the design director at legendary mid-century furniture manufacturer Herman Miller, was always looking for new design talent. DeRespinis was struck by Pollock’s sculptures at Pratt and recommended Nelson hire him. Pollock, who had been working for Donald Deskey’s firm, took a job with Nelson and helped create the Swag Leg armchair (a full Swag Leg collection debuted at Herman Miller in the late 1950s). Soon afteward, Pollock opened his own studio and shared his portfolio with pioneering designer Florence Knoll at the modernist behemoth she cofounded with her husband Hans.
Pollock’s 657 Sling chair for Knoll debuted in 1960 and earned him a substantial contract with the brand. This paved the way for his most famous design: the Executive chair. Introduced in 1963, the Executive chair became one of the best-selling and most recognizable office chairs in history. Pollock devoted five years to perfecting the seat, and his patented rim technology allowed for simple assembly, which contributed to its success and popularity.
Pollock later returned to sculpting and explored other pursuits but never stopped designing furniture. In 1982, he created the Penelope chair for the Italian furniture maker Castelli. At 82 years of age, Pollock was commissioned by American manufacturer Bernhardt Design to create the CP Lounge chair, which was launched at the London Design Festival 2012. Pollock died a short while later, in 2013, but his seating is still produced by Bernhardt Design today.
Pollock received much acclaim throughout his career. He earned several awards, including the prestigious Red Dot Design Award and Pratt Institute's Rowena Reed Kostellow Award for outstanding work in industrial design. His Executive chair has been exhibited at museums around the world, including the Louvre Museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
On 1stDibs, find vintage Charles Pollock seating and other furniture today.
Florence Knoll
Architect, furniture designer, interior designer, entrepreneur — Florence Knoll had a subtle but profound influence on the course of mid-century American modernism. Dedicated to functionality and organization, and never flamboyant, Knoll shaped the ethos of the postwar business world with her skillfully realized office plans and polished, efficient designs for sofas, credenzas, desks and other furnishings.
Knoll had perhaps the most thorough design education of any of her peers. Florence Schust was orphaned at age 12, and her guardian sent her to Kingswood, a girl’s boarding school that is part of the Cranbrook Educational Community in suburban Detroit. Her interest in design brought her to the attention of Eliel Saarinen, the Finnish architect and head of the Cranbrook Academy of Art.
Saarinen and his wife took the talented child under their wing, and she became close to their son, the future architect Eero Saarinen. While a student at the academy, Florence befriended artist-designer Harry Bertoia and Charles and Ray Eames. Later, she studied under three of the Bauhaus masters who emigrated to the United States. She worked as an apprentice in the Boston architectural offices of Walter Gropius and Marcel Breuer; Ludwig Mies van der Rohe taught her at the Illinois Institute of Technology.
In 1941, she met Hans Knoll, whose eponymous furniture company was just getting off the ground. They married in 1946, and her design sense and his business skills soon made Knoll Inc. a leading firm in its field. Florence signed up the younger Saarinen as a designer, and would develop pieces by Bertoia, Mies and the artist Isamu Noguchi.
Florence Knoll's main work came as head of the Knoll Planning Group, designing custom office interiors for clients such as IBM and CBS. The furniture she created for these spaces reflects her Bauhaus training: the pieces are pure functional design, exactingly built; their only ornament from the materials, such as wood and marble. Her innovations — the oval conference table, for example, conceived as a way to ensure clear sightlines among all seated at a meeting — were always in the service of practicality.
Since her retirement in 1965, Knoll received the National Medal of Arts, among other awards; in 2004 the Philadelphia Museum of Art mounted the exhibition “Florence Knoll: Defining Modern” — well deserved accolades for a strong, successful design and business pioneer. As demonstrated on these pages, the simplicity of Knoll’s furniture is her work’s great virtue: they fit into any interior design scheme.
Find vintage Florence Knoll sofas, benches, armchairs and other furniture on 1stDibs.
- Illum Wikkelsøe Capella Series Armchairs, 1950By Niels Eilersen, Illum WikkelsøLocated in Los Angeles, CARemarkable pair of easy chairs from the Capella series, designed by Illum Wikkelsø, produced by Niels Eilersen in Denmark, designed in 1959, solid teak wood frames with loose cushion...Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Armchairs
MaterialsLeather, Teak
$5,600 / set - Pair of Swedish Oversized Lounge Chairs, 1960Located in Los Angeles, CAWonderful pair of oversized Swedish lounge chairs, 1960, with original beige floral upholstery with colorful accents and fluted mahogany legs, the hazelnut brown fabric on the sides ...Category
Vintage 1960s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Armchairs
MaterialsUpholstery, Mahogany
$3,400 / set - Karin Mobring 'Diana' Side Chair, 1970Located in Los Angeles, CAWonderful, compact Danish modern safari chair by Karin Mobring, Sweden, designed in 1970, pine frame with leather upholstery, stainsCategory
Vintage 1970s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Armchairs
MaterialsLeather, Pine
- Danish Leather Lounge Chair, 1960By Arne NorellLocated in Los Angeles, CAWonderful, compact Danish Modern lounge chair, designed in 1960, dark stained beech frame with leather straps and thick leather upholstery.Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Armchairs
MaterialsLeather, Pine
- Hans J. Wegner Model CH-24 Dining Chair, 1950By Hans J. Wegner, Carl Hansen & SønLocated in Los Angeles, CAWonderful model CH-24 dining chair by Hans Wegner for Carl Hansen & Søn, designed in 1950, in light oak with woven paper cord seat, seat cushion available on request, marked.Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Armchairs
MaterialsAsh, Leather, Papercord
- Børge Mogensen, Model 2254 Lounge Chair, 1956By Fredericia, Børge MogensenLocated in Los Angeles, CAStunning lounge chair 'BM-2254/ Slædestolen' designed by Børge Mogensen in 1956 and produced by Fredericia Stolefabrik, Sweden, adjustable mahogany frame with original beige alcantar...Category
Vintage 1950s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsLeather, Upholstery, Mahogany
- Charles Pollock Executive Chair for Knoll, 1963By Charles PollockLocated in Catania, IT1963. Charles Pollock project for Knoll. Charles Pollock challenged himself and created a chair inspired by a single line. An evergreen object that has overcome the challenge of time and continues to be part of the American company's production line, as well as being exhibited in the prestigious collections of the Louvre in Paris and the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art. The 'secret' design of the Executive Chair...Category
Vintage 1960s Saint Pierre and Miquelon Armchairs
MaterialsMetal
- Set of 12 Executive "Pollock" Chairs by Charles Pollock for Knoll, USA, 1963By Knoll, Charles PollockLocated in Hellouw, NLThese 12 executive chairs are a true classic hailing from the illustrious stable of manufacturer Knoll, designed in 1963 by the American designer Charles Pollock. An absolute master ...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
MaterialsAluminum
On Hold$9,133 / set - 1960s Charles Pollock Armchair "Sling Chair" Model 657By Knoll, Charles PollockLocated in Oakland, CAThe Charles Pollock "Sling Chair" or Model 657, designed in 1960 and produced from 1964 to 1979 by Knoll. Created out of a leather sling, seat cushion, cast aluminum and chromed stee...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsAluminum, Steel, Chrome
- Italian Executive Swivel Arm Chair by Charles Pollock for Comforto Orange FabricBy Charles Pollock, ComfortoLocated in Markington, GBItalian executive armchair by Charles Pollock for Comforto, stunning orange fabric swivel desk chair, This plastic / metal framed chair is in very good vintage condition, A classic c...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsMetal
- Pair of 657 Armchair by Charles Pollock for KnollBy Charles Pollock, KnollLocated in Stockton, NJA pair of early 657 armchairs by Charles Pollock for Knoll. This 1970's pair features chromed steel and wood frames with black leather seat and cushion. O...Category
Vintage 1970s American Armchairs
MaterialsSteel
- Charles Eames for Vitra "Ea 116" Hopsack Red Office Swivel Armchair, 1980By Charles and Ray Eames, VitraLocated in The Hague, NLDesigners: Charles and Ray Eames. Maker: Vitra - 1989. Design year: 1958. Model: EA116 Hopsack (high back, arms and swivel). The EA 116 Aluminium Group ea...Category
Vintage 1980s American Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsAluminum
Recently Viewed
View AllRead More
10 Trailblazing Female Designers
From pioneering visionaries to contemporary talents, get to know some of the most important women in design.
Remembering Design Visionary Florence Knoll Bassett (1917-2019)
A loving look back at the life and career of a doyenne of mid-century-modern style, who died last week at the age of 101.