Pair of Early Barcelona Chair by Mies Van Der Rohe by Stiegler 1950s
About the Item
- Creator:Ludwig Mies van der Rohe (Designer)
- Design:
- Dimensions:Height: 29.53 in (75 cm)Width: 29.53 in (75 cm)Depth: 29.53 in (75 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 2
- Style:Bauhaus (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1955
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Minor fading.
- Seller Location:Aachen, DE
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU6944229682102
Barcelona Chair
For the German Pavilion at the 1929 International Exposition in Barcelona, German-American architect and furniture maker Ludwig Mies van der Rohe (1886–1969) — in collaboration with his romantic partner, designer Lilly Reich (1885–1947) — created a chair fit for royalty.
The Spanish king, Alfonso XIII, was expected to attend the opening of the World’s Fair, and as Mies later stated, the chair needed to be “monumental . . . you just couldn’t use a kitchen chair.” In its X-shaped structure, the Barcelona chair recalls the ancient folding stools of Egypt and Rome and was designed with swooping lines and a luxe contrast of materials between the chrome-plated frame and quilted leather cushions. Like the pavilion surrounding it, the chair distilled Mies’s “less is more” aphorism.
By all accounts, King Alfonso XIII never got around to sitting on this modern throne. The pavilion, too, stood for only seven months before it was demolished. Nevertheless, the Barcelona chair was regarded as a masterwork of modernism, influencing countless buildings that followed with its minimalist aesthetic of marble, glass and steel, which gracefully flowed together from the exterior to the interior spaces. Out of all the pavilion’s components, the Barcelona chair had the most longevity as a stand-alone piece.
Shortly after the close of the pavilion, the Barcelona chair went into production, first handcrafted by the Berliner Metallgewerbe studio. It became popular in private residences, debuting in America in 1930 in the New York apartment of architect Philip Johnson, who had met Mies during his work on the German Pavilion in Spain.
Fleeing the Nazis’ rise to power in Germany, Mies, too, soon moved to the United States. He relocated to Chicago, where he became the director of the Illinois Institute of Technology in 1938. It was there that he met designer Florence Knoll, who would help bring the Barcelona chair into mass production.
The earliest models of the Barcelona chair from Knoll were released in 1947. The design company and furniture manufacturer made slight updates to the chair over the years in response to new technology, including in 1964 changing the frame to stainless steel. Prevalent in office lobbies and architects’ homes, the Barcelona chair has seen numerous imitators, so in 2004 Knoll finally received a federal trade dress protection for it and four other pieces by Mies.
Knoll continues to produce the chair, and although the 21st-century version differs slightly from the 1929 original, it still embodies Mies and Reich's vision of design elegance in its balance of function and form.
Ludwig Mies van der Rohe
Architect, furniture designer and educator, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe was a central figure in the advancement and promotion of modernist design and architectural theory and practice. Like Frank Lloyd Wright and Le Corbusier, he was a hugely influential presence in the field, who shaped the course of 20th-century architecture both through his buildings and his teaching of rationalist design principles.
Born in the medieval German city of Aachen, Mies found an interest in architecture as a boy while working for his father, a master stonemason. He had no formal education as an architect, but learned his skills as an apprentice to the designer Bruno Paul, and as a staffer in the office the proto-modernist architect and designer Peter Behrens. Following World War I, Mies rose to prominence in his field amid the liberal atmosphere of the Weimar Republic. His reputation was secured by his work on the German Pavilion at the 1929 International Exposition in Barcelona (commonly referred to as the Barcelona Pavilion) — which Mies codesigned with Lilly Reich, his creative and romantic partner — a radically simple, poetic, open-plan building pared down to its architectural essentials. Mies would go on to direct the Bauhaus from 1930 until 1933, when Nazi-government interference forced the closure of the progressive art and design school. Later that decade, he made his way to Chicago, where he remained for the rest of his career as a practicing architect and a dean of the Illinois Institute of Technology.
Mies’s famed dictum “less is more” grew from his belief that architecture both guides and expresses the spirit of the times, and he envisioned the 20th century as open-minded, logical, transparent and liberated by technology. His best-known buildings — residences such as the Villa Tugendhat in Czechoslovakia and the Farnsworth House in rural Illinois; skyscrapers like the 860–880 Lake Shore Drive apartment towers in Chicago and the Seagram Building in New York — reflect that philosophy. As do the most famous furniture designs authored by him or codesigned with Reich.
Pieces designed by Mies and Reich such as the Barcelona chair (the authorized version is produced by Knoll today), stools and daybed, or the cantilevered Brno chairs, deliver a maximum of comfort and support from a minimum of materials: their “lavishness” derives from the precision with which they are engineered and constructed. For the collector, the allure of Mies’s furniture is at once practical and idealistic. Useful and functional, his works embody the highest aspirations of modernism.
Find vintage Mies van der Rohe chairs, tables and other furniture on 1stDibs.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Herzogenrath, Germany
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 3 days of delivery.
- Early Wool Womb Chair by Eero Saarinen for Knoll, 1960sBy Eero Saarinen, KnollLocated in Aachen, NWEarly 2-tone wool Womb chair by Eero Saarinen for Knoll. The groundbreaking Womb chair was designed in 1948 by Eero Saarinen at Florence Knoll's request for "a chair that was lik...Category
Mid-20th Century American Lounge Chairs
MaterialsAluminum
- Early Bird Chair & Ottoman Bouclé by Harry Bertoia for Knoll, 1970sBy Harry Bertoia, KnollLocated in Aachen, NWEarly Bouclé wool edition Bird chair & ottoman by Harry Bertoia for Knoll. The groundbreaking Bird chair was designed in the 50s by Harry Bertoia and made by Knoll. This mid-century classic supports countless positions and offers a comforting oasis of calm. This edition is a very nice fully restored Bouclé...Category
Mid-20th Century American Lounge Chairs
MaterialsSteel
- Vintage Cognac Eames Lounge Chair by Herman Miller 1970sBy Herman Miller, Charles and Ray EamesLocated in Aachen, NWThis rare lounge chair was designed by Charles & Ray Eames and were produced by Herman Miller in the early 1970s. It is one of the earlier lounge chairs which were produced in Europe...Category
Vintage 1970s German Lounge Chairs
MaterialsLeather, Wood
- Adam Chair by IB Kofod Larsen for Mogens Kold DenmarkBy Mogens Kold Møbelfabrik, Ib Kofod-LarsenLocated in Aachen, NWRare Adam chair by IB Kofod Larsen for Mogens Kold Mobelfabrik Denmark. Designed in 1958 and produced in the early 1960s. Early edition with wonderful black leather upholstery an...Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Lounge Chairs
MaterialsLeather
- Rare Art Déco Club Chairs by Jacques Adnet, France 1930sBy Jacques AdnetLocated in Aachen, NWVery rare and fine armchairs by Jacques Adnet. Made in France in the early 1930s. Fine Bouclé upholstery. Feets are made by solid wood. Stunning pieces. The chairs are in excellent,...Category
Vintage 1930s French Club Chairs
MaterialsBouclé, Wood
- Vintage Egg Chair & Ottoman by Arne Jacobsen for Fritz Hansen, 1981By Arne Jacobsen, Fritz HansenLocated in Aachen, NWThis very rare 80s edition Egg chair with ottoman was designed in the 50s by Arne Jacobsen for the SAS Hotel in Copenhagen and produced by Fritz Hansen in 1981. The Egg chair comes w...Category
Vintage 1980s Danish Lounge Chairs
MaterialsAluminum
- Early Barcelona Chair by Mies Van Der RoheBy Ludwig Mies van der RoheLocated in Brussels, BEEarly and rare "Barcelona" chair and ottoman designed by Mies van der rohe and manufactured by the German company Waldemar Stiegler, which produced flat steel furniture for Knoll Int...Category
Vintage 1950s German Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsChrome
- Pair of Vintage Barcelona Chairs by Mies van der RoheBy Ludwig Mies van der RoheLocated in Dallas, TXA pair of early Knoll Barcelona chairs designed by Mies van den Rohe. Stainless steel frames with patinated black leather.Category
Vintage 1960s Lounge Chairs
MaterialsStainless Steel
- Barcelona Chair by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe for KnollBy Ludwig Mies van der RoheLocated in Centreville, VAAs a rising figure of the modernist movement, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe was selected to design the German Pavilion for the 1929 International Exposition in Barcelona. Through masterf...Category
Vintage 1920s American Bauhaus Lounge Chairs
MaterialsChrome
- Early Pair MCM Knoll Barcelona Chairs Black Leather Mies van der Rohe 1961By Ludwig Mies van der RoheLocated in Portland, ORA collectors pair of Early Knoll Associates production Mies van der Rohe Barcelona chairs, 1961. Knoll had the license to manufacture the Barcelona chair from 1953, this pair were pu...Category
Mid-20th Century American Bauhaus Lounge Chairs
MaterialsSteel
- Knoll Barcelona Chairs by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Leather, Stainless SteelBy Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, KnollLocated in Kansas City, MOFour available. Price is for each. Beautiful set of Barcelona Chairs designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and produced by Knoll. Each example i...Category
Early 2000s American Bauhaus Lounge Chairs
MaterialsStainless Steel
- Rare 1960s Gerald R.Griffith Barcelona Chairs, Mies van der RoheBy Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Gerald R. GriffithLocated in Buffalo, NYA collector's pair! These stunning pair of Barcelona chairs were made by Gerald R. Griffith under the close supervision of Mies van der Rohe, Pre-Knoll,, The Griffith chairs have ext...Category
Vintage 1960s American Bauhaus Lounge Chairs
MaterialsChrome