Chinese artist and designer Robert Kuo is known worldwide for his modern furniture and objets d’art that merge ancient tradition and popular decorative styles such as Art Deco and Art Nouveau.
Born in Beijing, Kuo moved with his family to Taiwan in 1947. While he never received a formal art education, Kuo gained technical expertise working as an apprentice at his father’s cloisonné workshop from the age of 15.
In 1973, Kuo emigrated to the U.S. and opened his own cloisonné studio in Beverly Hills, California. There, he utilized the time-honored skills he learned with his father for a wide range of uniquely striking vases, sculptures and bowls. His Goldfish bowl — a technical masterpiece of vibrant colors and cloisonné designs that appear to float against a black enamel background — was acquired by the Smithsonian’s Arthur M. Sackler Gallery for its permanent collection.
In 1984, Kuo opened a showroom in West Hollywood, where it became a favorite among interior designers for the sculptural and often whimsical coffee tables, stools and table lamps on offer. A year later, Kuo shifted his attention toward repoussé — a technique that sees decorative reliefs hammered onto the surface of metals. Examples of Kuo’s repoussé pieces include his black lacquer Cloud chair and Oval coffee table in antique copper.
In 2014, a retrospective exhibition celebrating Kuo’s 30th anniversary as a designer was held at the Pacific Design Center in Los Angeles and his New York studio. In 2016, he also hosted an exhibition in his New York studio titled “Robert Kuo Selects: Los Angeles Studio Made, Found and Represented Artists,” showcasing his works as well as pieces by prominent L.A. designers Blackman Cruz, Dana John and JF Chen. In 2019, Italian artist Mattia Biagi’s L.A. exhibition “Metropolitan Sets” included Kuo’s Back Rest chair and brass Facet Seat.
Today, Kuo’s works can be seen at the National History Museum in Taipei, Singapore Ritz-Carlton, San Francisco’s Hotel Palomar, the Las Vegas MGM Grand and the Four Seasons in New York.
On 1stDibs, find a range of vintage Robert Kuo decorative objects, seating, lighting and more.
Contemporary Arm Rest Chair in Cream Lacquer by Robert Kuo, Limited Edition
By Robert Kuo
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Arm rest chair Cream Lacquer Metal base Contemporary Hand made Lacquer is a technique that dates back to the Shang dynasty, circa 1600-1100 B.C...
Metal
Arm Rest Chair, Black Lacquer by Robert Kuo, Handmade, Limited Edition
By Robert Kuo
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Arm rest chair Black lacquer Handmade Metal base Limited Edition Lacquer is a technique that dates back to the Shang dynasty, circa 1600-1100 B.C. T...
Metal
Valmont Arm Chair by Bourgeois Boheme Atelier
By Bourgeois Boheme Atelier
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Classic French 1940s Style Club Chairs. Large scale with a deep seat . Ideal to lounge with a large arm you can use as a side table for your lab top or magazine. The chairs have a h...
Upholstery
1980s Limited Edition Black Lacquer and Copper Table by Robert Kuo
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Limited edition lacquer and repousse' table/ bench by Robert Kuo for Maguire.
Copper
$1,736
H 32.68 in W 165.36 in D 20.48 in
Oscar Tusquets, Gaulinetta Chair, Black, Lacquered, LIMITED EDITION
By Oscar Tusquets Blanca
Located in Barcelona, ES
Inspired by Enzo Mari and his Tonietta chair, Oscar Tusquets created an adaptation of his Gaulino: The Gaulinetta. Tusquets’ reduction of the Gaulino armrests generates a sleek mode...
Hide, Ash
$1,388Sale Price / item|20% Off
H 32.2 in W 21.2 in D 20.8 in
Gebrüder Thonet Vienna GmbH Sugiloo Chair in Black Lacquer
By Adolf Loos, Gebrüder Thonet Vienna GmbH
Located in Brooklyn, NY
The rigorous style of Michael Anastassiades defines the new SUGILOO bent wood chair with wood or upholstered seat, proposed with and without wooden bac...
Wood
Marshan Rattan Arm Chair in Brown By Creel and Gow
By Creel and Gow
Located in New York, NY
Marshan rattan armchair by Creel and Gow, in brown: Measures: 22" x 21" x 37" H- Seat Height: 18" Introducing Creel and Gow's exclusive wicker and rattan collection, designed by Mar...
Wicker, Rattan
$1,736
H 32.68 in W 165.36 in D 20.48 in
Gaulinetta Chair, by Oscar Tusquets, Black, Lacquered, LIMITED EDITION
By Oscar Tusquets Blanca
Located in Barcelona, ES
Inspired by Enzo Mari and his Tonietta chair, Oscar Tusquets created an adaptation of his Gaulino: The Gaulinetta. Tusquets’ reduction of the Gaulino armrests generates a sleek mode...
Hide, Ash
$1,736
H 32.68 in W 165.36 in D 20.48 in
Dining chair "Gaulinetta" by Oscar Tusquets black lacquered ash wood, Spain
By Oscar Tusquets Blanca
Located in Barcelona, ES
This is an ideal chair for dining and after, being able to tuck it away under the table. In homage to Enzo Mari, who called Tonietta, a derivative of Thonet, This chair was named the...
Hide, Ash
$2,200
H 31 in W 23 in D 24 in
1950s Vintage Russell Spanner "Ruspan" Arm Chair by Spanner Products Limited
By Russell Spanner
Located in Monrovia, CA
1950s Original Russell Spanner's "RUSPAN" lounge chair with arms. Original found condition with original hardware and strapping. The first line of furniture Russell Spanner developed...
Other
$2,790 / item
H 28.35 in W 21.26 in D 17.72 in
Avoa Chair • Handmade Edition • in Steel by Pedro Paulo-Venzon
By Pedro Paulo Venzon
Located in Florianopolis, Santa Catarina
The motivation for the development of the Avoa Chair (MMXIII) is autotelia, the autonomous design discourse. The challenge was to think of an object as a qu...
Steel
$4,831Sale Price / item|20% Off
H 28.75 in W 34.65 in D 33.47 in
Contemporary Tux Chair Special Edition in Navy Melton Wool with Legs in Brass
By Stuart Scott
Located in Trowbridge, Wiltshire
The Tux is our contemporary interpretation of the Classic Chesterfield. The deep buttoning and tailored detailing make this piece a personal favourite. Tux Chair...
Brass
$17,052
H 47.25 in W 70.87 in D 55.12 in
Meltdown Chair, PP Tube #1 White by Tom Price, Contemporary, Limited Edition
By Tom Price
Located in PARIS, FR
'Meltdown Chair, PP Tube #1 White' is a piece by English artist Tom Price, from the Meltdown Series. This chair is made entirely from polypropylene tubes, no other material is added. The artist assembles a stack of common plumbing tubes and then he presses it on a heated metal seat-shaper former. The ends of the tubes melt and fuse together. When they cool and subsequently harden, the shape of the seat is created. Tom Price thus alters the structural and aesthetic qualities of the plastic material, giving rise to interesting contrasts in texture and form within the same object. Launched in 2007, the Meltdown Series earned Tom Price widespread international acclaim for his innovative production processes and eye-catching approach to working with commonplace plastic products. The way of assembling the plastic material and the mostly unpredictable patterns created by the heating method ensure that every piece is unique and unrepeatable. This design pieces are true sculptural objects, while at the same time being fully functional and very robust. Meltdown Chairs are included in the permanent collections of several Museums, including SFMOMA San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (US), the Denver Art Museum (US), The Nelson Atkins Museum (US), Chatsworth House (UK), MKG Hamburg (Germany) and the Amore Pacific Museum (South Korea). Works from the Meltdown Series have been exhibited extensively throughout the USA, South America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. They have been included in many high-profile museum exhibitions, including SFMOMA San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (US), MAD Museum of Art and Design New York (US); The Mint Museum (US); Denver Art Museum (US); Design Museum Holon (Israel); Design Museum Gent (Belgium); NRW Forum Dusseldorf (Germany); The Latvian National Museum of Art in Riga (Latvia). They have also featured at international art and design fairs, including Design Miami Basel (Switzerland); Sao Paolo Design Festival (Brazil); Cheongju International Craft Biennale (South Korea), Design Days Dubai (United Arab Emirates); Gwangju Biennale (South Korea) and Lodz International Design Biennale (Poland). Finally, the series has been featured in multiple publications, including: The Campaign for Art...
Plastic
$2,633
H 29.93 in W 27.56 in D 21.66 in
Gaulino Easy Chair by Oscar Tysquets black lacquered ashwood, contemporary
By Oscar Tusquets Blanca
Located in Barcelona, ES
“The challenge was to design a light armchair, not too high, using wood and leather. At the beginning, it was going in a different direction, but after making various models, prototypes and considering BD’s design team’s different perspectives on the matter, the result has inevitably drawn toward what is now the Gaulino chair, which was designed nearly 30 years ago. We did not envision it so, but the ergonomics and the aesthetic coherence of this piece has taken us toward a solution much like the Gaulino chair, an heiress of Gaudí and Mollino, and have decided to conserve the name.” OSCAR TUSQUETS The Gaulino Easy Chair...
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