Fascinated with the concept of kinetics and its relation to furniture — famously a conduit for stillness — French designer Marc Held, who founded Paris design firm Archiform in 1960, devised his most famous chair, the Culbuto armchair, for Knoll between 1967 and 1972. For Held at the time, design was all about motion.
Guided by the notion that standing still is more tiresome than walking continually, Held imagined a piece of furniture that would facilitate constant motion when he designed the Culbuto chair. (The series also featured a low-back armchair and an accompanying ottoman.) The resulting seat, which features leather upholstery over a rounded, fiberglass base, is essentially the ultimate rocking chair. Dispensing with his initial idea of including a counterweight in the design, the finalized shape of the armchair allowed for 360-degree movement, enabling its sitter to move without interruption while remaining comfortably seated. The chair takes its name from the French word for somersault, which was, appropriately, used to name “Monsieur Culbuto,” a classic “roly-poly” toy — a doll with a rounded base that makes it bob from side to side.
The shape necessary to attain such movement on Held’s chair required molding fiberglass into a bulbous, hollow-ball shape, which, like the Ball chair, lends the piece a distinctly Spage Age appearance. Following the debut of the Culbuto chair, Held’s practice shifted to reflect a heavier focus on architecture rather than product design, and Knoll discontinued the chair after only a few years. As such, there are only a few examples of the Culbuto on the market, making it an enviable get for collectors of modern, innovative and unusual furnishings.
Marc Held for Knoll Int Culbuto Highback Armchair and Ottoman, Black Leather
By Marc Held
Located in Wargrave, Berkshire
Marc Held, France / USA for Knoll International a Culbuto highback armchair and ottoman. Designed in 1967 and produced in limited numbers from moulded lacquered fibreglass and black ...
Fiberglass
1960 Rare Industrial desk by Marc Held for Strafor
By Marc Held
Located in London, Lambeth
Well balanced in function and form this rare desk by Marc Held Combine into Materials metalcvand plastic with three storage draws Cc 1960 for strafor France
Aluminum
chest-of-drawers-by-marc-held design -for-prisunic producer in years 1970
By Marc Held, Prisunic
Located in Biella, IT
chest-of-drawers-by-marc-held design -for-prisunic producer in years 1970 the meuble is modular in five piece
Plastic
Industrial Equestrian Desk
Located in Westwood, NJ
The Industrial Equestrian desk of walnut and reclaimed wood with an iron base. The parquetry inlaid top with five drawers is flanked by two horse heads...
Iron
$195 / item
H 29.75 in W 27.5 in D 19.5 in
1960s Friso Kramer Style Industrial Desk Teak Formica Top by Werzalit
By Friso Kramer
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Industrial work desk attributed to the Friso Kramer style manufactured by Werzalit in Austria during the 1960s. The design features a compact cantilever frame construction in dark gr...
Metal
$883
H 19.69 in W 14.97 in D 14.97 in
Italian Space Age Red Modular Chest of Drawers by Castelli for Kartell, 1970s
By Kartell
Located in MIlano, IT
Italian Space Age Red plastic Modular chest of drawers by Anna Castelli for Kartell, 1970s Modular chest of drawers with square base and rounded corne...
Plastic
CM 172 desk by Pierre Paulin for Thonet, 1960'
By Pierre Paulin
Located in LYON, FR
CM 172 desk by Pierre Paulin for Thonet 1960s desk by Pierre Paulin in teak (1955-1957) Genuine CM 172 model. Beautiful lines with its black steel crossbar structure and two-drawe...
Steel
Vintage bamboo chest of drawers by maugrion, 1970s
Located in Leuven, Vlaams Gewest
Elegant wooden and bamboo chest of drawers with 3 large drawers. Produced by Maugrion, delivering quality rattan and bamboo furniture and sold in high segment furniture shops such a...
Bamboo
$2,100 / item
H 32 in W 23 in D 23 in
Mies van der Rohe for Knoll Brno Flat Bar Armchair 255 AC, Black Leather, Italy
By Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Knoll
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Mies van der Rohe for Knoll Brno Flat Bar Armchair 255AC, Black Leather with armpads (original design). The Tugendhat House, often considered to b...
Stainless Steel
Desk by General Fireproofing GoodForm, Industrial
By General Fireproofing Company
Located in Miami, FL
Desk by General Fireproofing with eight drawers. Comes with glass top. Good condition with some normal wear.
Steel
Desk by Osvaldo Borsani for Tecno, 1960s
By Tecno, Osvaldo Borsani
Located in bruxelles, BE
Wood and metal desk. Composed of a box with 3 lockable drawers with key and storage space, and another box with 3 unlockable drawers. The boxes can be turned. Stamped Tecno. Wear du...
Metal
Lovely Desk by Herbert Hirche for Holzäpfel, Germany, 1960s
Located in Nürnberg, Bayern
Lovely Desk by Herbert Hirche for Holzäpfel, Germany, 1960s Slight signs of use due to age, patina due to age, there is a small repair on the top, see pictures. Furniture wax was p...
Metal
Desk by Osvaldo Borsani for Tecno, 1960s
By Osvaldo Borsani, Tecno
Located in bruxelles, BE
Wood and metal desk. Stamped Tecno. Comprises a cabinet with three lockable drawers and storage space, and another cabinet with three lockable drawers. Wear due to time and age. FOR...
Metal
$8,831
H 29.14 in W 76.78 in D 31.5 in
Rare 'Boomerang' Desk by Jos De Mey for Van Den Berghe-Pauvers, 1960s
By Jos De Mey, Van den Berghe-Pauvers 1
Located in Antwerpen, VAN
Amazing ‘Boomerang’ desk designed by Jos De Mey for Van Den Berghe-Pauvers in the early 1960s. One of a kind design with a boomerang shaped top in original green formica combined wit...
Brass
$800
H 26.58 in W 47.45 in D 25.01 in
Industrial 7900 series 'Economy' desk by André Cordemeyer for Gispen, 1960's
By A.R. Cordemeijer, Ontwerpbureau N.V. Gispen
Located in Steenwijk, NL
This industrial desk was designed as a writing machine desk by André Cordemeyer for N.V. Gispen. It is part of the 7900 series. The desk has a metal base with high tapered leggs, 2 d...
Metal, Aluminum
1960s Culbuto Chairs by Marc Held for Knoll leather and fiberglass
By Marc Held, Knoll
Located in Virginia Beach, VA
A pair of "Culbuto" chairs designed by French designer, Marc Held for Knoll in the 1960s. These chairs only saw a limited run with knoll and very few circulate the after market. Lacq...
Leather, Fiberglass
Space Age Culbuto Chairs by Marc Held for Knoll 1970
By Marc Held
Located in Naples, FL
A rare pair of playful space age chairs that rock in all directions. Le Petite Culbuto, 1970, for Knoll. Comfortable, important pieces of French and American design history. These pe...
Leather, Fiberglass
French Minimalist Daybed by Marc Held for Prisunic 1970
By Prisunic, Marc Held
Located in bergen op zoom, NL
A minimalist Space Age daybed in white fibreglass by French designer Marc Held for Prisunic France 1970 This is a first edition model with a smooth inner surface without the ribs ...
Metal
Culbuto Armchairs, 1960s
By Marc Held
Located in Saint-Ouen (PARIS), FR
Pair of Culbuto armchairs designed in 1967 by Marc Held for Knoll International. Designed without mechanism, the chair has the possibility to move by tilting or rotating. It was pub...
Leather, Fiberglass
Marc Held "Culbuto" Rocking Chair, Leather, 1967
By Marc Held
Located in Saint ouen, FR
Marc Held "Culbuto" armchair / rocking chair, 1967 Knoll International Edition White lacquered fiberglass and black leather which was restored Measures: H 114 x W 80 x L 90 cm...
Leather, Fiberglass
