Iconic Designs
Cesca Chair
About the Design
Ubiquitous but never boring, the Cesca chair has defined casual elegance in the dining room since 1928. Designed by Marcel Breuer (1902–81) for the Austrian furniture maker Gebrüder Thonet, the original Cesca chair combines natural beechwood caning and modern tubular steel for a sensibility that celebrates both handicraft and industrialization. It’s a paragon of Bauhaus design, embodying the school’s “truth to materials” philosophy and adhering to the movement’s emphasis on mass production. In fact, the Cesca chair was the first-ever tubular steel frame chair with a caned seat to be mass produced — a breakthrough for furniture design.
Breuer got his start in architecture after dropping out of the painting program at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna. He began apprenticing with a Viennese architect and went on to join the Bauhaus movement in 1921, when he was just 19 years old, eventually becoming a master carpenter at the German arts school. While there, Breuer designed furniture for Sommerfeld House in Berlin, industrialist Adolf Sommerfeld’s private residence, which was conceived by architects Walter Gropius (the Bauhaus school’s founder) and Adolf Meyer. Not long afterward, Breuer’s experiments with tubular steel would yield his Wassily chair, named for his friend, painter and Bauhaus professor Wassily Kandinsky, as well as the Cesca.
Originally called the B32, Breuer renamed the chair in honor of his daughter, Francesca, when Italian manufacturer Gavina began producing it in the early 1960s. Knoll introduced the chair when it acquired Gavina in 1968 and continues to manufacture it today.
And while the Cesca chair’s silhouette has remained the same throughout the decades, Breuer himself later made minor modifications, including the implementation of a shallower curve to the back and the addition of a second piece of steel for the frame to account for both comfort and durability. With the Cesca’s cantilevered construction, Breuer’s design transcended that of the traditional four-legged dining chair, pushing the boundaries of what “everyday” could mean in furniture.
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Original Gavina "Cesca" Chairs by M. Breuer, 1970
By Marcel Breuer, Simon Gavina Editions
Located in Sacile, PN
Cesca chairs and designed by Marcel Breuer for Gavina dated circa 1970 (the project was created in 1928).
All seats and backrests with new "Vienna" strow.
All with Gavina label, a...
Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Bauhaus Chairs
Materials
Metal
Pr. Breuer Cesca Chairs Made in Italy, C 1970's
By Marcel Breuer
Located in New York, NY
Iconic and arguably the most important chair ever designed, the Breuer Cesca chair remains as relevant today as it was when first introduced in the 19...
Category
Vintage 1970s Italian International Style Dining Room Chairs
Materials
Chrome
Austrian mid-century modern Chairs Cesca by Marcel Breuer for Thonet, 1960s
By Marcel Breuer, Thonet
Located in MIlano, IT
Austrian Thonet chairs in black wood and metal, 19
Cesca style chairs with seat and back in black painted wood and Vienna straw. The structure is made of tubular steel.
Produced by T...
Category
Vintage 1960s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Materials
Metal
Set of 8 Vintage Cesca Chairs by Marcel Breuer, 1970s
By Marcel Breuer, Dino Gavina
Located in Roma, IT
Cesca Chairs is a set of 8 chairs designed by Marcel Breuer and realized by Dino Gavina in the 1970s.
Load-bearing structure in mannesmann-type continuous tubular steel, cold-bent c...
Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Chairs
Materials
Steel
Set of 6 Cesca B 32 Marcel Breuer Gavina 1960
By Marcel Breuer
Located in Arezzo, Italy
Set of 6 Cesca chairs designed by Marcel Breuer, produced by Gavina 1960.
The chairs show slight signs of wear, seats restored.
The meeting between Vienna straw and metal tubular, tr...
Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Materials
Metal
Set of 6 Cesca Chairs by Marcel Breuer for Gavina, 1970s
By Marcel Breuer, Dino Gavina
Located in Roma, IT
Set of 6 CESCA Chairs by Marcel Breuer for Dino Gavina, Italy 1970s.
Load-bearing structure in mannesmann-type continuous tubular steel, cold-bent chrome-plated. Seat and backrest ...
Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Chairs
Materials
Steel
Set of Two Mid-Century Modern Marcel Breuer B32 Cesca Chair, Italy 1970s
By Marcel Breuer
Located in Escalona, Toledo
Set of two Cesca chairs, model B32, made in Italy in the 1970s. Black lacquered beech wood frames and Viennese natural grid.
The grill seat have been put new.
Very good general con...
Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Materials
Steel, Chrome
Group of 3 Chairs Gavina Cesca Wood, Italy, 1960s
By Gavina, Marcel Breuer
Located in Milano, IT
Group of 3 chairs; tubular in chromed metal, seat and back with painted wooden frame and Vienna straw.
Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Materials
Metal
Pr. Unusual Cesca Dining Arm Chairs Designed by Breuer Made in Italy, Ca. 1970's
By Marcel Breuer
Located in New York, NY
Unique leather strapped version of the iconic Cesca chair, designed by Marcel Breuer. These chairs were made in Italy, circa 1970's. Both are structurally sound and sturdy, both show cosmetic wear, and signs of age and use, including some replaced leather straps, please see images. Chic, sophisticated and stylish, it is unusual to see woven leather upholstery...
Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Bauhaus Dining Room Chairs
Materials
Chrome
Marcel Breuer B32 Cesca Dining Room Chairs for Gavina Knoll, 1963, Set of 8
By Gavina, Marcel Breuer
Located in Vicenza, IT
Beautiful set of 8 original B32 “Cesca” dining chairs produced by Gavina in 1963.
They are all signed with the original paper mark.
Cesca chairs were originally designed in 1928 by F...
Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Bauhaus Dining Room Chairs
Materials
Chrome, Iron
Set of Four Cesca Chairs Made in Italy Designed by Breuer c. 1970s
By Marcel Breuer
Located in New York, NY
Exceptional set of four Cesca chairs, originally designed by Marcel Breuer circa 1920’s, these are later vintage examples, made in Italy circa 1970’s.
The chairs are newly reuphols...
Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Bauhaus Dining Room Chairs
Materials
Chrome
Four (4) NIB Cesca Bar Stools Marcel Breuer Knoll Chromed Steel Upholstery
By Knoll, Marcel Breuer
Located in Philadelphia, PA
At the Bauhaus, Marcel Breuer married traditional craftsmanship with industrial methods and materials to help make tubular steel furniture an international sensation and a modern ins...
Category
2010s American Bauhaus Stools
Materials
Steel, Chrome
Set of 6 Pcs. Mid-Century Marcel Breuer Cesca Chairs
By Marcel Breuer
Located in Vilnius, LT
Set of 6 pieces of Cesca chairs designed by Marcel Breuer in 1928's. These chairs are created in tubular chrome and woven cane rattan seat and backing.
Very good vintage condition.
Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Materials
Chrome
Set of 4 Vintage Brown Cesca Midcentury Italian Cantilever Chair, Marcel Breuer
By Marcel Breuer
Located in Zagreb, HR
A set of four beautiful vintage Marcel Breuer design B64 cantilever chairs with armrests, in a rare lacquered walnut brown finish.
Completely original parts, and in original vintage...
Category
1990s Italian Bauhaus Dining Room Chairs
Materials
Chrome
1970s Set of 4 Retro Marcel Breuer Cesca Dining Chairs with Dining Table
By Marcel Breuer
Located in London, GB
A stylish and iconic set of ‘Cesca’ dining chairs, originally designed by Marcel Breuer in the 1920s. These were made in Italy, they date from around the ...
Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Sets
Materials
Chrome
Chrome and Black Cesca Chair Designed by Marcel Breuer Made in Italy circa 1970s
By Marcel Breuer
Located in New York, NY
Chic Cesca arm chair, designed by Marcel Breuer. Iconic and timeless Bauhaus chair, still relevant to today’s interior spaces. This chair was produced ...
Category
Late 20th Century Italian International Style Armchairs
Materials
Chrome
Cesca Chairs Gavina Vienna Straw Italy 1960s-1970s
By Gavina, Marcel Breuer
Located in Milano, IT
Pair of chairs with armrests made of chrome-plated metal tubing, seat and backrest with stained wood frame and Vienna straw.
Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Materials
Metal
Cesca Chair by Marcel Breuer for Knoll 'Manufactured by Gavina, 1973'
By Marcel Breuer
Located in Centreville, VA
Authentic Cesca chair designed by Marcel Breuer for Knoll (Manufactured by GAVINA, 1973)
Vintage hand caned version (You can see the hand caning evidence on the underside of the seat)
Manufactured on January 23, 1973
It has "Knoll International" and "GAVINA Model Made in Italy" labels.
Since 1928, when Michael Thonet manufactured model B32, as the Cesca chair was then known, for about $24, it has become Breuer's "most famous and now ubiquitous seating design," Christopher Wilk says in his book "Marcel Breuer: Furniture and Interiors" (Museum of Modern Art, 1981).
The design was never patented. Breuer signed a contract with the Knoll Group, but his design has always been in the public domain, said Carl Magnusson...
Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs
Materials
Chrome
Bauhaus B33 Dining Chairs by Marcel Breuer for Gavina, Italy 60s, Set of 4
By Marcel Breuer
Located in Lucija, SI
Set of 4 chairs B33 designed by Marcel Breuer in dark brown leather. Produced by Gavina in the 60s.
They are in good vintage condition with minor traces of age, as visible on photos.
Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Bauhaus Dining Room Chairs
Materials
Steel, Chrome
Black Dining Chair "Cesca" B32 by Marcel Breuer for Fasem, Italy, 1970
By Fasem International, Marcel Breuer
Located in DE MEERN, NL
Black dining chair "Cesca" B32 by Marcel Breuer for Fasem, Italy, 1970s
Introducing the iconic "Cesca" B32 dining chair by Marcel Breuer, expertly crafted by Italian brand Fasem i...
Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
Materials
Chrome
A set of 4 Marcel Breuer Cesca Chairs
By Marcel Breuer
Located in Wilton, CT
Conceptualized in the late 1920s, the original design of the Cesca chair is still being manufactured and in high demand, thanks to the popularity of nostalgic aesthetics such as art ...
Category
Vintage 1970s North American Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Materials
Chrome
SIX RESTORED ViNTAGE BROWN LEATHER MARCEL BREUER B34 FASEM DINING ARMCHAIRS 6
By Fasem International, Marcel Breuer
Located in GB
Royal House Antiques
Royal House Antiques is delighted to offer for sale this one of a kind suite of six, fully restored, Marcel Breuer, Fasem, B34 armchairs in hand dyed brown leat...
Category
20th Century European Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
Materials
Chrome
Pair of Wood Upholstery and Nickel Cesca Armchairs Chairs, 1970s
By Marcel Breuer
Located in Bochum, NRW
A pair of unusual Cesca chairs. Nickel frames with Wood and nice fabric upholstery seats and backs.
Perfect to complete a dining set or use as desk or lounge chairs.
Iconic design,...
Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Bauhaus Armchairs
Materials
Upholstery, Wood
1970s Gavina Italy Chair "Cesca" by Marcel Breuer
By Marcel Breuer
Located in Biella, IT
Gavina production Italy chair "cesca" by Marcel Breuer design years '70, signed label.
Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Modern Club Chairs
Materials
Metal
Cesca chair by Marcel Breuer for Gavina 1960s
By Gavina, Marcel Breuer
Located in Padova, IT
In the Cesca chair by Marcel Lajos Breuer for Gavina you can find the top of Made in Italy quality. This work by the austrian designer presents a modern and unmistakable line, which ...
Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Materials
Metal
Mid-Century Italian Modern Marcel Breuer Cesca Dining Chairs
By Marcel Breuer
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Set 6 Mid-Century Modern Marcel Breuer “Cesca” dining chairs. The Marcel Breuer “Cesca” chairs is said to be the most reproduced chai...
Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
Materials
Chrome
Marcel Breuer Designer Model B64 8 Cesca Chairs by Gavina Italy circa 1970
By Simon Gavina Editions, Marcel Breuer
Located in Catania, IT
Chairs, Cesca model, designed by Marcel Breuer.
Made in Italy around 1970 by the manufacturer Gavina.
Structure in metal tube, seat and back in wood and rattan.
In good origin...
Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Materials
Metal, Steel
Italian Mid-Century Metal Beech Vienna Straw Cesca Chair Breuer for Gavina 1960
By Gavina, Marcel Breuer
Located in MIlano, IT
Italian Mid-Century Modern matt black metal tubolar, white beech and Vienna straw Cesca chair, by Marcel Breuer and produced by Gavina in 1960s
Cesca model chair, with matt black pa...
Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Materials
Metal
Pair Of Vintage Marcel Breuer Cesca Carver Chairs In Black, 1970s
By Marcel Breuer
Located in London, GB
Pair of vintage square back Marcel Breuer Cesca carver chairs with characterful patina to the frames. Perfect to complete a dining set or use as desk or lounge chairs.
Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
Materials
Rattan, Beech
Vintage Marcel Breuer Armchair 'Cesca' B64 Armchair, Italy
By Marcel Breuer
Located in Den Haag, NL
Very nice vintage example of this Cesca B64 armchair.
Vintage example, old label still present. Made in Italy 1970s.
Timeless cantilever design with black ...
Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Bauhaus Armchairs
Materials
Wicker
Mid-Century Modern B64 Cesca Chair with Arms by Marcel Breuer, Italy, 1970s
By Marcel Breuer
Located in Marbella, ES
Chair model Cesca B64, with armrests. Chromed tubular structure, beechwood frames in black color and Viennese natural grid. Excellent condition in general both of the wooden frames, ...
Category
Late 20th Century Italian Armchairs
Materials
Steel
1930s Cesca Armchair by Marcel Breuer
By Marcel Breuer
Located in Sagaponack, NY
A minimal Cesca armchair designed by Marcel Breuer featuring caned seat and back on a cantilevered tubular chrome frame. Originally from the Levy House...
Category
Vintage 1930s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
Materials
Metal
Set of 2 Italian Mid-Century Modern Dining Chairs by Marcel Breuer
By Marcel Breuer
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Set of 2 dining chair Cane Cesca ! stunning
The Cesca chair was a chair design in 1928 by Marcel Breuer, using tubular steel. It was named Cesca as a tribute to Breuer’s adopted d...
Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Materials
Chrome
Set of Four Mid-Century Italian Modern Marcel Breuer B64 Cesca Chairs, 1970
By Marcel Breuer
Located in Escalona, Toledo
Set of four Cesca chairs model B64, with armrests.
The tubular steel chromed structure it is in good condition.
Beechwood frames lacquered in black and Viennese natural grid.
Grid...
Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
Materials
Steel, Chrome
Pair of Cesca B32 chairs by Marcel Breuer 1970s
By Marcel Breuer
Located in PARIS, FR
Pair of Cesca B32 chairs by Marcel Breuer 1970s. An icon of the modernist movement, Marcel Breuer was a pioneering architect known for his use of steel, glass and cement. He created ...
Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Bauhaus Chairs
Materials
Metal
1970's Vintage Set of 6 Marcel Breuer 'Cesca' Chairs
By Marcel Breuer
Located in London, GB
A stylish and iconic set of six vintage ‘Cesca’ dining chairs, originally designed by Marcel Breuer in the 1920’s. These were made in Italy, they date from around the 1970’s.
They a...
Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
Materials
Chrome
Mid-Century Modern Italian set of 4 Cesca Chairs by Marcel Breuer. 1970s
By Marcel Breuer
Located in Prato, IT
Mid-Century Modern Italian set of 4 Cesca Black Chairs with Vienna Straw and Chrome Cantilever Structure by Marcel Breuer. 1970s
Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Materials
Chrome
Italian mid-century straw wood steel chairs Cesca by Marcel Breuer Gavina, 1970s
By Marcel Breuer
Located in MIlano, IT
Italian mid-century Straw, wood and steel chairs Cesca by Marcel Breuer Gavina, 1970s
Set of six iconic and elegant chairs mod. Cesca with seat and back in black painted beech wood a...
Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
Materials
Steel
Set of Six Mid-century Italian Modern Marcel Breuer Cesca Chairs 70s
By Marcel Breuer
Located in Escalona, Toledo
Set of six Cesca chairs, model B32, made in Italy in the 1970s.
Chromed steel structures in very good condition. Black lacquered beech wood frames and natural Viennese grille. The gr...
Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
Materials
Steel, Chrome
Four Cesca Chairs by Marcel Breuer for Gavina
By Marcel Breuer
Located in London, England
Cesca chairs, also known as Cesca-style chairs, are a type of modernist furniture design that has become an iconic piece of 20th-century design. They were created by the Hungarian-born American designer Marcel Breuer in the late 1920s. The name "Cesca" is derived from Breuer's daughter's name, Francesca. Cesca chairs are known for their minimalist and Bauhaus-inspired aesthetic. They represent the principles of the Bauhaus school, which emphasized functionality, simplicity, and the use of modern materials. Cesca chairs have achieved iconic status in the world of design and are considered classics of modernist furniture design. They are part of the permanent collections of many museums and are still in production by various furniture manufacturers.
Set off four Cesca chairs finished in black by Marcel Breuer for Gavina SpA...
Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Materials
Steel
Set of Four Marcel Breuer Cesca Chairs for Gavina, Italy, 1950s
By Gavina, Marcel Breuer
Located in London, GB
Designer and Architect Marcel Breuer (1902 – 1981) was an incredibly influential figure. When only 23 years of age, a talent at the Bauhaus, he pioneered the use of tubular steel in ...
Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Modern Chairs
Materials
Chrome
More Marcel Breuer Designs
Cesca Chair
Average Price
$3,236
Number Available
34
Cesca Chair
Materials
Metal, Wood, Natural Fiber, Chrome
Styles
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Ubiquitous but never boring, the Cesca chair has defined casual elegance in the dining room since 1928. Designed by Marcel Breuer (1902–81) for the Austrian furniture maker Gebrüder Thonet, the original Cesca chair combines natural beechwood caning and modern tubular steel for a sensibility that celebrates both handicraft and industrialization. It’s a paragon of Bauhaus design, embodying the school’s “truth to materials” philosophy and adhering to the movement’s emphasis on mass production. I...
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Number Available
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Materials
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Styles
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Inspired by bicycle handlebars, the Wassily chair is one of Marcel Breuer’s (1902–81) greatest achievements. Even though the tubular metal chair looked like an artifact from the future when the Hungarian-American designer and architect conceived it in 1925, Breuer could not have foreseen the significant impact that this would have on modern design.From 1920–28, Breuer studied and then taught at the Bauhaus school of design, where he found a kindred spirit in Walter Gropius, who invited Breuer...
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