Streamlined Zephyr Clock by Kem Weber
View Similar Items
Streamlined Zephyr Clock by Kem Weber
About the Item
Kem Weber
Architect and designer Kem Weber arrived in the United States in the vanguard of a wave of progressive Central European talents — among them, Rudolph Schindler, Richard Neutra, Paul T. Frankl and Ilonka Karascz — who would profoundly affect the course of modernism in the United States. In his new home, Weber created a wholly American form of modern design that is sleek and stylish, yet comfortable and practical.
Karl Emanuel Martin Weber — “Kem” was his self-styled nom d’usage — was born and trained in Berlin. In 1914, he became an accidental immigrant to the U.S.. Sent to San Francisco by his teacher-turned-employer, architect Bruno Paul, to oversee an installation at a global design expo, Weber was marooned by the outbreak of World War I. But he quickly grew to love California, even if his early years there were difficult. When design commissions were hard to find, he took jobs as a lumberjack, chicken farmer and art school teacher. (He gained U.S. citizenship in 1924.)
In the mid-1920s, while working for the Los Angeles–based Barker Bros. department store — the largest furniture retailer in the country at the time — Weber regularly traveled around the nation to deliver lectures on modernism. His reputation as a champion of a new, clean and elegant style earned him architectural commissions and contracts to design furniture and items such silverware, coffee services and cocktail shakers. His masterpiece is the Airline lounge chair, designed 1934-1935. With its raked, gently angular frame and cantilevered seat, the chair suggests movement, speed and forward progress. Though it seemed perfect for mass production, Weber was never able to convince a major manufacturer to take it on. In the end, fewer than 300 Airline chairs were made. Today, those may be the rarest examples of Weber’s work, but are always worth looking out for. As you will see on these pages, his designs are both intelligent and stylish. They deserve to be a part of any serious collection of American modernism.
- KEM Weber Model 304 "Zephyr" Copper Digital Clock by Lawson, circa 1934By Kem WeberLocated in Van Nuys, CAGreat design burnished bronze and brass with ivory enameled trim fantastic Machine Age design electric clock designed in the 1930s. Great Art Deco stylized numbers in a digital form ...Category
Vintage 1930s Table Clocks and Desk Clocks
MaterialsCopper
- Art Deco Streamlined ClockLocated in Dronten, NLModernist 1920s streamlined clock in Macassar and chrome. This mantel (fireplace) clock from the “Amsterdam School” of design has the traditional eight day wind movement with its ori...Category
Early 20th Century Dutch Art Deco Mantel Clocks
MaterialsChrome
- Mid-Century Modern Spider Web Wall Clock in Brass by Pallas, 1960sLocated in Nürnberg, BayernStunning sunburst wall clock made of brass, metal and glass. An eye catcher par excellence. Made in Germany. Electric, battery operated clock.Category
Vintage 1960s German Mid-Century Modern Wall Clocks
MaterialsMetal, Brass
- Art Deco Silver and Marble Digital Mantel Clock Model 975 by Lawson, Circa 1930By Kem WeberLocated in Van Nuys, CAAn early circa 1930s cyclometer model 975 electric digital clock housed in a wonderful silver architectural case with stepped chromed art deco accents and a marble base. Introducing...Category
Vintage 1930s Carriage Clocks and Travel Clocks
MaterialsOnyx, Silver Plate, Brass
- English Brass and Polished Steel Skeleton Clock Under Glass Dome Webber, C. 1870By WebberLocated in Hollywood, SCEnglish brass skeleton clock under original glass dome with a polished steel roman numeral dial, fuse chain movement, and affixed to an oval carved wood felt base with four bun feet....Category
Antique 1870s English Victorian Mantel Clocks
MaterialsSteel, Brass
- Art Deco Clock by SabinoBy Sabino Art GlassLocated in Ciudad Autónoma Buenos Aires, CArt Deco clock made of frost glass, with enameled and silver-plated bronze dial, made by Sabino. Signed Sabino, machine EC, France. France, CIRCA 1920.Category
Vintage 1920s European Art Deco Table Clocks and Desk Clocks
MaterialsSilver, Bronze
$9,000