Olivier Mourgue Djinn Chaise Lounge for Airborne in Beautiful Pierre Frey Fabric
About the Item
- Creator:Olivier Mourgue (Designer),Artifort (Manufacturer)
- Design:
- Dimensions:Height: 24.81 in (63 cm)Width: 68.9 in (175 cm)Depth: 23.63 in (60 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1964
- Condition:Reupholstered.
- Seller Location:ŁÓDŹ, PL
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU8410233849412
Djinn Chair
The Djinn chair appeared so futuristic when it debuted in 1964 that red versions were used as space station seating in Stanley Kubrick’s 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey. Created by French designer Olivier Mourgue (b. 1939), the low-slung lounge chair — named for the shapeshifting djinn, or spirits, that appear in the Koran — has an undulating seat that appears as if it were folded from a single piece of material. The illusion is an effect of its assembly, which sees curved tubular steel covered with urethane foam and jersey fabric. Despite its imposing presence, the chair is lightweight.
“The good object is very movable and displaceable; inventions and creations are light,” Mourgue wrote in an essay for the Philadelphia Museum of Art’s 1983 exhibition “Design Since 1945.” “It was in this spirit that I constructed my ‘Djinn’ seats.”
Not long after the Djinn chair made its debut, most designers would use plastic instead of metal frames to build similarly flowing forms; Mourgue in the 1960s was pushing the structural limits of available materials. Released by the French manufacturer Airborne International, the chair was part of a Djinn series that included an equally sculptural chaise longue and footstool.
The chairs came in bold variations such as red, yellow, blue and green, with the idea that the jersey could be zipped off and changed seasonally or to meet shifting tastes. Because the material and foam tend to deteriorate over time, vintage versions are likely to require restoration. Mourgue said in 1965 that “things should have a short life,” yet in more than 50 years since its debut, his Djinn chair remains a popular vision of a space-age future.
Olivier Mourgue
With its undulating, futuristic and playful form, it’s easy to see why filmmaker Stanley Kubrick chose to use Olivier Mourgue’s iconic Djinn chair in his 1968 masterpiece 2001: A Space Odyssey. But the French artist and industrial designer is known for much more than the Space Age Djinn. From his whimsical Flower floor lamps to his anthropomorphic Bouloum chair, Mourgue is renowned as an important contributor to the 1960s Pop art era of modern furniture design.
Born in Paris in 1939, Mourgue grew up in an apartment filled with Empire-style antique furniture, which he derided as having “nothing to do with life.” He later studied art at Paris’s École Boulle, graduating in 1958. He then attended the École Nationale Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs.
In 1959, his former teacher at École Boulle, Marcel Merpillat, encouraged him to present a chair he designed at a competition hosted by furniture manufacturer Airborne. Airborne founder Charles Bernard was impressed by Mourgue’s design, which featured a leather-upholstered seat attached to a chrome steel frame; it was produced by the company under the name the Joker. Mourgue designed several other mid-century modern pieces for Airborne throughout the 1960s, including the Whist chaise longue, the rotund Montreal chair, the unique Cubique chair and the Djinn series, which first appeared in 1964.
In addition to Airborne, Mourgue has designed for furniture manufacturers such as Disderot and Prisunic, and collaborated with British architect and designer Sir Norman Foster and Finnish architect Juhani Pallasmaa.
Mourgue worked for Le Mobilier National to design the French Pavilion for Montreal’s Expo ‘67. In 1968, he received the International Design Award from the Institute of Interior Designers in New York for the Djinn lounge chair. He also exhibited several of his works at Expo ‘70 in Osaka, Japan.
Today, Mourgue’s pieces are part of the permanent collections at the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Centre Pompidou in Paris.
On 1stDibs, discover a range of vintage Olivier Mourgue seating, lighting and more.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Łódź, Poland
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 7 days of delivery.
- Djinn Chaise Lounge Attributed to Olivier Mourgue for Airborne, France, 1960sBy Olivier Mourgue, ArtifortLocated in ŁÓDŹ, PLThis 'Djinn' chaise longue by Olivier Mourgue for Airborne International is stunning. It was produced in France between 1964 and 1965. This chaise longue is well known for its appearance in "2001: A Space Odyssey" by Stanley Kubrick and is part of Center de Pompidou and the New York's MoMA collection. This epic piece of modernism from the Mid-20th Century is as beautiful as it is comfortable and will surely become a favourite piece of furniture in your living room. Condition: Excellent, Reupholstered, Completely restored, This Djinn chaise longue has new stripes, foam and luxurious curly boucle on a tubular steel frame. Dimensions: Width: 175 cm / 68.9 in. Depth: 60 cm / 23.63 in. Height: 63 cm / 24.81 in. About the Designer: Olivier Mourgue (French, born 1939) is a French artist and industrial designer. Best known for his design of the Djinn line of furniture, Mourgue’s aesthetic is characterized by brightly colored jersey fabric stretched over structural steel frames that are filled with polyether foam, creating a unified, futuristic, alien-like modular form. Born in Paris, France in 1939, he began his career with an innovative design for a chaise lounge in 1964, after which he expanded his original furniture line to include loveseats, stools, and anthropomorphic chairs. Despite also producing paintings and drawings, his career was ultimately dedicated to industrial design, and provided a quintessential aesthetic of 1960s Modernist furniture...Category
Vintage 1960s French Mid-Century Modern Chaise Longues
MaterialsMetal
- ‘Djinn’ Easy Chairs and Ottoman by Olivier Mourgue for AirborneBy Olivier MourgueLocated in ŁÓDŹ, PL'Djinn' easy chair and ottoman by Olivier Mourgue for Airborne International, France, 1964-1965. Made of a tubular steel frame with rubber singles, foam and woolen fabric. The set is after fully renovation with the original specifications with use of the highest quality foam and rubber. It is again upholstered in a luxurious woolen "plush" fabric from Belgium. The chair stands on stainless steel slides to protect the chair and fabric. In excellent condition. Both are original pieces from the 1960s. This set is the same as the red chairs used in the movie "2001: A Space Odyssey" by Stanley Kubrick. Those pieces are a part of Center de Pompidou and the New York's MoMA collection. This epic set of modernism from the Mid-20th Century is as beautiful as it is comfortable and will surely become a delightful piece of furniture in your home. Condition: This “Djinn” set is in perfect condition, after fully renovation process, has new stripes, foam and was reupholstered in luxurious woolen fabric from Belgium. Chair dimensions: Width 70 cm / 27.56 in. Depth 76.2 cm / 30 in. Height Seat Height 67 cm / 26.37 in. 39.37 cm / 15.5 in. Ottoman dimensions: Width 72 cm / 28.34 in. Depth 58 / 22.83 in. Height 40 cm / 15.74 in. About the Designer: Olivier Mourgue (French, born 1939) is a French artist and industrial designer. Best known for his design of the Djinn line of furniture, Mourgue's aesthetic is characterized by brightly colored jersey fabric stretched over structural steel frames that are filled with polyether foam, creating a unified, futuristic, alien-like modular form. Born in Paris, France in 1939, he began his career with an innovative design for a chaise lounge in 1964, after which he expanded his original furniture line to include loveseats, stools, and anthropomorphic chairs. Despite also producing paintings and drawings, his career was ultimately dedicated to industrial design, and provided a quintessential aesthetic of 1960s Modernist furniture...Category
Vintage 1960s French Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsMetal
- Theo Ruth Daybed for Artifort, the Netherlands, 1950sBy Artifort, Theo RuthLocated in ŁÓDŹ, PLThis Mid-Century Modern daybed was designed by Theo Ruth in 1947 and produced by Eugen Schmidt Soloform, Artifort in a limited series. That is a veritable reflection of the specta...Category
Mid-20th Century Dutch Mid-Century Modern Daybeds
MaterialsWool, Alpaca, Wood
- Alky Chairs by Giancarlo Piretti for Artifort in Pierre Frey, 1970s, Set of 2By Artifort, Giancarlo PirettiLocated in ŁÓDŹ, PLA pair of beautiful Giancarlo Piretti "Alky" chairs reupholstered in a fluffy blend of wool, mohair and alpaca, produced by one of the world's most luxurious fabric manufacturers, Pi...Category
Vintage 1970s Dutch Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsWool, Alpaca, Mohair
- Tongue Lounge Chairs by Pierre Paulin for Artifort, 1960s, Set of 2By Artifort, Pierre PaulinLocated in ŁÓDŹ, PLPair of 1st edition Pierre Paulin “Tongue” lounge chairs, Artifort, 1960s Timeless elegance untouched by fleeting fashion. The above features perfectly distinguish the “To...Category
Vintage 1960s Dutch Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsWool
- Vintage Alky Chairs in Off-White Fabric by Giancarlo Piretti for Artifort, 1970sBy Artifort, Giancarlo PirettiLocated in ŁÓDŹ, PLA pair of beautiful Giancarlo Piretti “Alky” chairs reupholstered in luxurious off-white wool-cotton blend fabric produced by a highly recognized textile manufacturer Chase Erwin fro...Category
Vintage 1970s Dutch Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsBouclé
- Restored Olivier Mourgue "Djinn" Chaise Lounge for AirborneBy Olivier MourgueLocated in Berlin, DENewly upholstered Djinn Chaise Lounge in Kvadrat Tonus wool fabric. The color as close as it was shown in the 2001 movie by Stanley Kubrick. Excel...Category
Vintage 1960s French Mid-Century Modern Chaise Longues
MaterialsMetal
- Djinn Chaise by Olivier Mourgue for AirborneBy Olivier MourgueLocated in Little Burstead, EssexAn original chaise frame from Olivier Mourgue for Airborne in France, rewebbed, refoamed and recovered in Knoll international fabric, which all comply with current fire safety regula...Category
Vintage 1960s French Mid-Century Modern Chaise Longues
MaterialsSteel
- Olivier Mourgue emblematic Djinn Chaise Longue for AirborneBy Olivier MourgueLocated in Santa Gertrudis, BalearesThe Djinn chaise longue, designed by Olivier Mourgue (born 1939) for Airborne in 1963, is one of those very few quintessential and emblematic early...Category
Vintage 1960s French Mid-Century Modern Chaise Longues
MaterialsSteel
- Djinn Lounge Chair by Olivier Mourgue, 1960sBy Olivier MourgueLocated in Saint-Ouen, FROlivier Mourgue France (1939-) A graduate of the Ecole Boulle, Olivier Mourgue enrolled at the National School of Decorative Arts in Paris. From 1964, he worked closely with Airborne for which he designed the Joker armchairs, the Djinn, Tric-Trac and Whist series. The Djinn lounge chair...Category
20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Chaise Longues
MaterialsMetal
- “Djin” Daybed by Olivier Mourgue for Airborne, FranceBy Olivier MourgueLocated in Amsterdam, NLA 1970s “Djin” daybed designed by Olivier Mourgue and manufactured by Airborne in France. This stunning piece showcases a harmonious blend of comfort and style, making it a true icon...Category
Vintage 1970s French Daybeds
MaterialsFabric
- Djinn Chair by Olivier Mourgue for AirborneBy Olivier MourgueLocated in Little Burstead, EssexThis is an original Djinn chair, as seen in 2001 a Space Odysee, the frame has been rewebbed, refoamed to current fire safety regulations and recovered in a top quality red stretch f...Category
Mid-20th Century French Space Age Lounge Chairs
MaterialsSteel