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Mid-Century Vitra Design Museum Redesign George Nelson Sunburst Wall Clock

Name: Mid-Century Vitra Design Museum Redesign George Nelson Sunburst Wall Clock
Brand: George Nelson
Rating: 4.9 (73 reviews)

$700List Price

Shop All George Nelson

George Nelson

Architect, designer, and writer George Nelson was a central figure in the mid-century American modernist design movement; and his thoughts influenced not only the furniture we live with, but also how we live.

Nelson came to design via journalism and literature. Upon receiving his bachelor’s degree in architecture from Yale in 1931, he won the Prix de Rome fellowship, and spent his time in Europe writing magazine articles that helped bring stateside recognition to Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Gio Ponti, Le Corbusier and other canonical modernist architects.

In the 1940s, Nelson wrote texts that suggested such now-commonplace ideas as open-plan houses, storage walls and family rooms. D.J. De Pree, the owner of the furniture maker Herman Miller, was so impressed by Nelson that in 1944 — following the sudden death of Gilbert Rohde, who had introduced the firm to modern design in the 1930s — he invited Nelson to join the company as its design director. There Nelson’s curatorial design talents came to the fore.

To Herman Miller he brought such eminent creators as Charles and Ray Eames, Isamu Noguchi, and the textile and furniture designer Alexander Girard. Thanks to a clever contract, at the same time as he directed Herman Miller he formed a New York design company, George Nelson & Associates, that sold furniture designs to the Michigan firm. Nelson's studio also sold designs for clocks to the Howard Miller Clock Company, a manufacturer that was initially part of Herman Miller before it became an offshoot that was helmed by Howard Miller, D.J. De Pree's brother-in-law.

Nelson’s New York team of designers (who were rarely individually credited) would create such iconic pieces as the Marshmallow sofa, the Coconut chair, the Ball clock, the Bubble lamp series and the many cabinets and beds that comprise the sleek Thin-Edge line.

For dedicated collectors, as well as for interior designers who look beyond “the look,” there is a “cool factor” inherent to vintage pieces from George Nelson and others. Nelson was in on it from the start, and it’s valuable to have a piece that was there with him.

But still, as is evident from the offerings from dealers on 1stDibs, in any of the designs, in any iteration whose manufacture Nelson oversaw and encouraged, there are shining elements of lightness, elegance, sophistication — and a little bit of swagger. George Nelson felt confident in his ideas about design and didn’t mind letting the world know.

Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Wall Clocks

Materials

Metal, Enamel

Mid-Century Modern Kite Wall Clock by George Nelson, Howard Miller, Vitra Label

$1,250

H 16.5 in W 21.5 in D 4.25 in

Mid Century Modern George Nelson Model No. 622 Wall Clock

By George Nelson

Located in Dronten, NL

Beautiful Model No. 622 wall clock designed by George Nelson & Associates, and manufactured by Howard Miller. In good working condition. Marked with Howard Miller label. The George ...

Category

Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Wall Clocks

Materials

Aluminum

Mid Century Modern George Nelson Model No. 622 Wall Clock

$975

H 14.57 in W 14.57 in D 2.76 in

Mid Century Modern George Nelson Model No. 522 Wall Clock

By George Nelson

Located in Dronten, NL

Beautiful Model No. 522 wall clock designed by George Nelson & Associates, and manufactured by Howard Miller. In good working condition. Marked with Howard Miller label The George N...

Category

Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Wall Clocks

Materials

Aluminum

Mid Century Modern George Nelson Model No. 522 Wall Clock

$975

H 12.6 in W 14.57 in D 2.76 in

Vintage Black Sunburst Wall Clock by George Nelson for Howard Miller

By George Nelson, Howard Miller

Located in San Jose, CA

Classic Mid Century Modern sunburst wall clock designed by George Nelson for Howard Miller Clock Company, circa 1950's. This iconic piece is all original made with black lacquered wo...

Category

Vintage 1950s American Scandinavian Modern Wall Clocks

Materials

Brass

Vintage Black Sunburst Wall Clock by George Nelson for Howard Miller

$2,600

H 3.75 in Dm 19 in

Mid Century Bitossi George Nelson Ceramic Pizza Slice Wall Clock

By Howard Miller, George Nelson, Bitossi

Located in Lutz, FL

Bitossi and George Nelson Meridian Collection Model 7542 wall clock produced by Howard Miller. Italian ceramic clock designed by Aldo Londi and h...

Category

Mid-20th Century Italian Wall Clocks

Materials

Metal

Mid Century Bitossi George Nelson Ceramic Pizza Slice Wall Clock

$1,500

H 14 in W 14 in D 2.5 in

Mid Century Modern Spindle Starburst Wall Clock by George Nelson Howard Miller

By George Nelson, Howard Miller

Located in Philadelphia, PA

Early and original spindle clock designed by George Nelson for Howard Miller Clock Company. It features solid wood spindles with brass numberless dial. Tested and working as it should.

Category

Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Wall Clocks

Materials

Brass, Steel

Mid Century Modern Spindle Starburst Wall Clock by George Nelson Howard Miller

$2,800

H 2.25 in Dm 23 in

George Nelson Mid Century Ball Clock in Brass and Wood

By George Nelson

Located in Weesp, NL

Interestingly, while nearly all of the designs that came out of George’s studio were attributed to him, many were actually designed by him and his team. Some were even designed solely by someone else working at the studio. Nelson famously recounted the story of how the Ball Clock came to life in an interview decades after it’s release: “It was one of the really funny evenings. Noguchi came by, Bucky Fuller came by, and here was Irving, and here was I, and Noguchi - who can’t keep his hands off anything - he saw we were working on clocks and started making doodles. Then Bucky sort of brushed Isamu aside. He said, ‘This is a good way to do a clock’ and made some utterly absurd thing. Everybody was taking a crack at this, pushing each other aside and making scribbles. At some point we left – we were suddenly all tired, and we’d had a little bit too much to drink – and the next morning I came back, and here was this roll of paper, and Irving and I looked at it, and somewhere in this roll, there was a ball clock. I don’t know to this day who cooked it up.” Nevertheless, whoever it was that came up with George Nelson’s designs, it’s almost certain that they would never have come to fruition if it wasn’t for George’s vision and forward-thinking approach. Can you tell me more about his clocks? George’s clocks were one of his most impressive bodies of work. In total, he and his team designed over 130 clocks in just three decades. While it is widely accepted that Irving Harper was the lead designer for the Howard Miller Clock Company at George Nelson Associates, the collection arose after two insightful observations from George: one, that people no longer used the numbers to tell the time; and two, that since most people now used their wristwatch to tell the time, interior clocks were now free to become more decorative in nature. The clocks were designed and released in batches of 8 and were initially only given numbers for names. The Sunflower Clock was simply ‘Clock 2261’, the Flock of Butterflies Clock was 'Clock 2226’, and so on. The Ball was the first clock designed by George and his team and it was followed shortly after by the Star, Sunburst, Spindle, Asterisk, Turbine, Flock of Butterflies, Eye and others. The clocks were purposefully abstract and were designed to complement the modernist furniture emerging at the time. As well as wall clocks, George’s studio also produced a series of desk clocks during that time, most notably the bubble-shaped Night Desk...

Category

Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Wall Clocks

Materials

Brass

George Nelson Mid Century Ball Clock in Brass and Wood

$3,291

H 2.96 in Dm 13 in

George Nelson Chess Piece Clock

By George Nelson, Howard Miller

Located in Brooklyn, NY

Rare model #2251 chess piece table clock designed by George Nelson for Howard Miller Clock Company. Turned walnut base supports w...

Category

Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Table Clocks and Desk Clocks

Materials

Brass

George Nelson Chess Piece Clock

$6,950

H 14 in W 7.5 in D 4.5 in

George Nelson Tripod Table Clock

By George Nelson

Located in Brooklyn, NY

Scarce large tripod table clock, Model 4764, designed by George Nelson and Associates for Howard Miller Clock Company. Satin brass dial encased in plexiglass bubble, with signature b...

Category

Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Table Clocks and Desk Clocks

Materials

Brass

George Nelson Tripod Table Clock

$6,800

H 9 in W 7 in D 6 in

George Nelson Prototype Domino Clock

By George Nelson

Located in Chicago, IL

Nelson office, designed by Irving Harper for Howard Miller. This is the only clock and was never produced. Purchased from Howard Miller Executive.

Category

Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Clocks

Materials

Wood

George Nelson Prototype Domino Clock

$6,930

H 2 in Dm 12 in

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Contemporary Mid Century George Nelson For Vitra Multicolored Analog Petal Clock

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A playful yet refined example of mid-century modern design, this George Nelson Four-Petal Wall Clock for Vitra features a striking arrangement of bold, oversized petals in green, ora...

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Contemporary Mid Century George Nelson For Vitra Multicolored Analog Petal Clock

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Vintage Mid Century Mod Rattan Basket Clock by George Nelson for Herman Miller

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A rare and visually striking mid-century wall clock designed by George Nelson for Howard Miller circa 1960s. This unique model features a circular clock face nestled within a sculptu...

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Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Wall Clocks

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Vintage Mid Century Mod Rattan Basket Clock by George Nelson for Herman Miller

$800

Vintage 1950s George Nelson for Howard Miller Oval Basket Weave Wall Clock

By George Nelson

Located in Keego Harbor, MI

A rare and visually captivating timepiece, this George Nelson for Howard Miller wall clock from the 1950s showcases the innovative spirit of mid-century modern design. The oval-shape...

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Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Wall Clocks

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Vintage 1950s George Nelson for Howard Miller Oval Basket Weave Wall Clock

$900

Mid-Century Modern Barwick for Howard Miller Lucite Grandmother Clock, 1970s

By Howard Miller

Located in Keego Harbor, MI

For your consideration is a gorgeous, standing grandmother clock, with a Lucite face, by Barwick for Howard Miller, circa the 1970s. In excellent condition. The dimensions are 13" W ...

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$900

Vintage 1970s Howard Miller Modern Minimalist Black and Silver Wall Clock

By Howard Miller

Located in Keego Harbor, MI

Vintage Howard Miller Modern Minimalist Wall Clock. This clock features a brushed steel outer casing with aluminum hands set against a black clock face. It is manufactured by the How...

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George Nelson Herman Miller White Laminate Pedestal Dinette Mid Century Table

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Located in Keego Harbor, MI

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