Rare Original Frank Gehry, Easy Edges, Cardboard Contour Chairs
View Similar Items
Rare Original Frank Gehry, Easy Edges, Cardboard Contour Chairs
About the Item
- Creator:Frank Gehry (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 29.25 in (74.3 cm)Width: 24.75 in (62.87 cm)Depth: 38.75 in (98.43 cm)Seat Height: 14.75 in (37.47 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1982
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Minor fading. Very good condition. Light wear. Some discoloration. One chair has evidence of moisture around the base. One chair has slight evidence of moisture and one has none.
- Seller Location:Kansas City, MO
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU105704200013
Frank Gehry
With magnificent buildings such as the Guggenheim Bilbao, Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles and the new Foundation Louis Vuitton in Paris, Frank Gehry has changed the nature and spirit of contemporary architecture. Yet the world’s best-known living architect has also enjoyed a prolific career as a designer of artful and functional objects, ranging from furniture to jewelry, that even at smaller scale are as lively and captivating as his architectural designs.
Gehry was born in Toronto and moved with his family to Los Angeles in 1947. He received a degree in architecture from the University of Southern California in 1954 and — after several years of casting about that included a stint in the U.S. Army and studies at Harvard — Gehry opened his architectural practice in L.A. in 1962.
Idiosyncratic renovations to his small, traditional house in Santa Monica — such as cladding portions of the exterior in chain-link fencing and corrugated metal — drew attention to Gehry in architectural circles. Corporate and institutional commissions added to his reputation, culminating in the global acclaim that greeted the opening of the Guggenheim Bilbao in 1997. But the combination of visual dynamism and structural integrity expressed by that building had been evident for decades in Gehry’s designs. In 1972 he introduced a much-admired line of furniture he called Easy Edges. The curves and flowing lines of the pieces, which include the Wiggle chair, seem antithetical to the material are made from: cardboard — a presumably flimsy material that, when stacked, laminated and folded, is actually extraordinarily sturdy.
Many of Gehry’s designs feature an abstracted fish motif. For the architect, it is a symbol of vitality, strength and flexibility. The fish appears in a group of 1982 plastic lamps created for Formica (and exhibited by the Jewish Museum in New York in 2010). Gehry used the motif in crystal goblets for Swid Powell (1990), his Pito kettle for Alessi (1992) and as earrings for a 2006 jewelry collection for Tiffany that also includes torqued rings, necklaces and bangles.
Gehry returned to furniture design in 1992 with a remarkably energetic line of furniture for Knoll with frames and seating made of bent, lightweight wooden strops. (The pieces' names, such as Power Play and Cross Check, derive from ice hockey.) In 2004, Heller released a group of twisted, faceted furnishings in molded polyethylene meant to evoke Gehry’s architecture. But — whether its tableware, jewelry or furniture — all Gehry’s designs do that--sharing an animated aesthetic built on a solid foundational core. To possess a piece of Gehry design is to own one of his buildings, in miniature.
Find vintage Frank Gehry chairs, tables and other furniture on 1stDibs.
- Sitting Beaver Chair by Frank Gehry for New City Editions, 1979 / 1986By Frank GehryLocated in Kansas City, MO"Sitting Beaver" / "Skinny Beaver" chair designed by Frank Gehry for the Experimental Edges series in 1979. Although designed in 1979, the furniture from this series was not produced...Category
Vintage 1980s Canadian Post-Modern Chairs
MaterialsPlywood, Paper
- Frank Gehry Power Play Chair and Ottoman for Knoll, Signed, Great ConditionBy Frank Gehry, KnollLocated in Kansas City, MOPower play chair and ottoman designed by Frank Gehry for Knoll in very close to new condition. There are no chips, cracks or repairs to the wood slats...Category
1990s American Post-Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsMaple
- Rare Pair of Red Hans Wegner Arm Chairs for Hansen and Son. Original. Signed.By Hans J. WegnerLocated in Kansas City, MOVery rare and desirable pair of red side chairs designed by Hans Wegner for Hansen and Son, Denmark, 1950s. These are in very good completely origin...Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Armchairs
MaterialsWood
- Rare Verner Panton Wire Cone Chair, Model K2, First Year Production, 1959By Verner PantonLocated in Kansas City, MOThis example is from the first year of production as noted by the rounded feet (later productions feature enlongated black feet). Chair retains original upholstery. Overall example h...Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsSteel
- George Nelson Desk or Office Chair, Very Rare, New Red Boucle Knoll UpholsteryBy Herman Miller, George NelsonLocated in Kansas City, MOVery rare George Nelson desk chair, freshly reupholstered in a crimson Knoll Classic boucle.Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
MaterialsAluminum
- Very rare Eames EC175-8.By Herman Miller, Charles and Ray EamesLocated in Kansas City, MOEames EC175-8. Very rare example of the loose cushion armchair without upholstery. Dated Oct. 1, 1978. This is an opportunity to own a very collectible piec...Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsAluminum
$6,000
- Frank Gehry Easy Edges Chairs and OttomansBy Frank GehryLocated in Los Angeles, CAFrank Gehry pair of easy Edges chairs and ottomans. Easy Edges, Inc. Canada/USA, 1972. Laminated cardboard, masonite. Chair: 29¼ H × 23¼ W × 39 D in, ...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsMasonite, Paper
$13,000 / set - Frank Gehry, "Contour" Rocker, Cardboard, Masonite, Easy Edges, Inc, 1970sBy Frank GehryLocated in High Point, NCAn early production "Contour" Rocker / Rocking Chaise, designed by architect Frank Gehry. Produced by Easy Edges, Inc, United States / Canada, 1970s. Produced in corrugated cardboard...Category
Vintage 1970s American Modern Rocking Chairs
MaterialsMasonite, Paper
- Vitra Frank Gehry "Easy Edges" Side Chair, 1970sBy Vitra, Frank GehryLocated in Los Angeles, CARare experimental corrugated cardboard side chair from the "Easy Edges" series, designed by Frank Gehry for Vitra, c. 1970s. This version is no longer in production. Gehry's experi...Category
Vintage 1970s Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsMasonite, Paper
- 1972 Frank Gehry 'Contour' Rocking Lounge Chair by Easy Edges Inc.By Frank GehryLocated in Los Angeles, CAIconic 1970s 'Contour' rocking lounge chair by the famous architect Frank Gehry for Easy Edges, Inc. This gorgeous patinated lounge chair is made from laminated corrugated cardboard ...Category
Vintage 1970s Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsMasonite, Paper
- Easy Edges chair by Franck Gehry, Vitra, 1972By Frank GehryLocated in PARIS, FR“Easy Edges” chair by Franck Gehry for Vitra, 1972 This very rare model from the "Easy edges" collection created by Franck Gehry in 1972 is no longer produced by Vitra. Through t...Category
Vintage 1970s German Chairs
MaterialsPaper
- Frank Gehry Attributed Vintage Curved Cardboard Side Chair or Chair, 1970sBy Frank GehryLocated in Vienna, ATA Frank Gehry attributed curved and corrugated cardboard side chair or chair, which was designed 1970s and executed 1980s. The surface is in very good vintage condition and shows sig...Category
Late 20th Century Modern Side Chairs
MaterialsPaper