Djinn Set by Olivier Morgue for Airborne Kvadrat Fabrics
About the Item
- Creator:Airborne (Maker),Olivier Mourgue (Designer)
- Design:
- Dimensions:Height: 23.63 in (60 cm)Width: 23.63 in (60 cm)Depth: 66.93 in (170 cm)Seat Height: 15.75 in (40 cm)
- Style:Space Age (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1965
- Condition:Reupholstered.
- Seller Location:Saarbrücken, DE
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU6951232726322
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: Saarbrücken, Germany
- Return PolicyThis item cannot be returned.
- Space Age Armchairs Karate by Michel Cadestin for AirborneBy Michel CadestinLocated in Saarbrücken, SLSpace age egg chairs - 1970s for Airborne Upholstered premium leather: Good condition with slight patina on the chrome.Category
Vintage 1970s French Space Age Armchairs
MaterialsMetal, Chrome
- Ribbon Chair F582 by Pierre Paulin & Jack Lenor Larsen fabrics for ArtifortBy Artifort, Pierre PaulinLocated in Saarbrücken, SLThe most wanted Ribbon Chair with the Jack Lenor Larsen fabrics. Maybe the best condition which still exist. The bright colours are very concise and the fabrics is in very good condi...Category
Vintage 1970s German Space Age Armchairs
MaterialsFabric, Wood, Lacquer
- Nesting Table Set by Frank Gehry for VitraBy Frank Gehry, VitraLocated in Saarbrücken, SLDesigner Frank O. Gehry Hersteller Vitra Jahr 2001 Land Deutschland Zustand Sehr guter Zustand / Restauriert Frank O. Gehry entwickelte schon 1972 aus einem Alltagsprodukt ...Category
Early 2000s German Modern Nesting Tables and Stacking Tables
MaterialsPaper
- Culbuti armchair & ottomane by Marc Held for Knoll InternationalBy Marc Held, KnollLocated in Saarbrücken, SL- armchair + ottomane - Marc Held for Knoll International (1967 - 1972) - full restored - high quality black aniline leather materials: fiberglass, leatherCategory
Vintage 1970s French Space Age Armchairs
MaterialsLeather, Fiberglass
- Vintage Japanese Floor Lamp by Kazuhide Takahama for SirrahBy SirrahLocated in Saarbrücken, SLOriginal japense floor lamp by Kazuhide Takahama for Sirrah - Italy.Category
Vintage 1980s Italian Space Age Floor Lamps
MaterialsMetal, Steel
- Space Age Lamp, Body by Gerd Lange for Fehlbaum 1970sBy Rolf Fehlbaum, Gerd LangeLocated in Saarbrücken, SLVery rare space age design lamp by Gerd Lange for Fehlbaum - Germany.Category
Vintage 1970s German Space Age Table Lamps
MaterialsMetal, Chrome
- 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
- Djinn Chair + Ottoman by Olivier Mourgue for AirborneBy Olivier MourgueLocated in Chicago, ILc. 1960s. Price is for the set. Extremely rare set made in France. As seen in 2001: A Space Odyssey. We reupholstered it and gave it new foam. The fabric is three stretch neoprene wh...Category
Vintage 1960s French Space Age Lounge Chairs
MaterialsFabric
- 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 Iconic Djinn Chair Airborne 1963 Reupholstered in Orange KvadratBy Olivier MourgueLocated in Santa Gertrudis, BalearesThe Djinn lounge chairs, designed by Olivier Mourgue (born 1939) for Airborne in 1963, are one of those very few quintessential and emblematic early space age designs which - much like the character from the 2001 a Space Odissey movie where they were notoriously featured - evaded space and time to, at first glance, catch the eye and the heart of the beholder, no matter the context nor the timeframe. Rightfully considered as the climax of the 1960s french seat...Category
Vintage 1960s French Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsSteel
- Two-Seat Djinn Sofa by Olivier Mourgue for AirborneBy Olivier MourgueLocated in Rovereta, SMVintage Djinn two-seater sofa designed by Olivier Mourgue in 1965 for Airborne. Metal frame lined with foam and covered with fabric . The feet have steel Skates. The Djinn sofa who...Category
Vintage 1960s French Mid-Century Modern Settees
MaterialsAluminum, Iron
- Two-Seat Djinn Sofa by Olivier Mourgue for AirborneBy Olivier MourgueLocated in Little Burstead, EssexAnother classic piece by Mourgue, this one a two seat sofa, completely reupholstered including foam webbing and fabric, and the fabric used is top quality 'Stretch' by Knoll.Category
Vintage 1960s French Mid-Century Modern Settees
MaterialsUpholstery