Banana Chair by Tom Dixon, Produced for Cappellini, 1988
View Similar Items
Banana Chair by Tom Dixon, Produced for Cappellini, 1988
About the Item
- Creator:Cappellini (Maker),Tom Dixon (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 36 in (91.44 cm)Width: 37 in (93.98 cm)Depth: 33 in (83.82 cm)Seat Height: 14.5 in (36.83 cm)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:1980-1989
- Date of Manufacture:1988
- Condition:In excellent condition.
- Seller Location:New York, NY
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU1433227984882
Tom Dixon
Artistic, innovative and entrepreneurial, the self-taught creator Tom Dixon has been a contemporary design-world maverick for more than three decades. From his revolutionary art-meets-design projects of the 1980s and throughout his dynamic and influential career as a designer of furniture, housewares and interiors, the only consistent note has been change. Dixon’s chief fascination is exploring new materials and new ways of constructing things.
Dixon was restless even as a young man. He enjoyed ceramics and drawing in high school but later dropped out of the Chelsea School of Art in London. While repairing his motorcycle in 1983, Dixon learned how to weld and took to the craft. He began making what he has called semi-functional objects from scrap metal (sometime as performance art in a nightclub), then formed a furniture studio–cum–think tank called Creative Salvage. Amid the ritzy excess of the ’80s, Dixon — along with designers such as Tejo Remy and Ron Arad — forged a new, attention-getting aesthetic with furniture made from found materials.
In 1987, Dixon began working for the Italian furniture manufacturer Cappellini, which put his best-known design, the slender, sinuous S chair, into production, followed by such pieces as the Pylon chair (1992), a wire lattice that resembles electrical transmission towers. Starting in the 1990s, Dixon expanded his interests rapidly. He started a company to manufacture the stackable plastic Jack light; joined the housewares retailer Habitat as creative director; and breathed new life into Artek, the venerable Finnish maker that Alvar Aalto and his wife Aino helped cofound. Since 2002, Dixon has run his namesake company fabricating furnishings from novel materials like brass foil-clad wood and “vacuum-metalized” glass.
The hallmark of Dixon’s design is his captivation with the process of creating pieces such as chairs, tables and lighting fixtures. “A kind friend once described me as a ‘vertebrate designer,’” Dixon has said. “That means that I design from the bones outwards and am not really interested in surface.”
Classic Dixon pieces are those that exhibit the manner of their making — from his early work in welded scrap metal to the woven rattan seats and backs of his Fat chair for Cappellini. There are two ways to approach Dixon designs: as a collector, or as a decorator. The former will seek Dixon’s one-off and limited edition works and prototypes. These historical artifacts carry high prices that range from around $8,000 to $50,000 and above. Those more interested in a dynamic look will find that manufactured Dixon designs — such as his Jack lights or his Melt pendant — can be found for prices that range from about $300 to $1,000. Either way, as you will see on 1stDibs, the designs of Tom Dixon have a singular allure that makes them a noteworthy element in any room.
Cappellini
In 1946, at the start of a postwar boom in Europe, Enrico Cappellini opened the doors to a small furniture studio in the Italian town of Carugo. But it wasn’t until his son joined the company nearly three decades later that Cappellini became a powerhouse fixture on the global design stage. Today Cappellini is one of the world’s foremost manufacturers of innovative chairs, tables and decorative objects.
Giulio Cappellini joined the family company in 1977 and, with his appointment, ushered in a stage of boundary-pushing modernism and prolific creativity at Cappellini. With a dual background in architecture and business management, Giulio was well equipped to steer the brand into both innovative design and economic growth in a rapidly globalizing economy.
The second-generation leader’s first major success came in 1981, with the launch of Sistemi, a modular, hyperfunctional storage system that would come to symbolize the chic functionality of Cappellini. That was quickly followed by a collaboration with renowned Japanese designer Shiro Kuramata for the Progetti Compiuti collection, a line that brought unexpected playfulness to the simple framework of a black-and-white cabinet and remains an iconic collectible today.
That first collaboration opened the doors to a prolific output of partnerships, with Cappellini tapping such star designers as Jasper Morrison, Marcel Wanders, Tom Dixon, Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec and Nendo for collections over the ensuing decades that spanned a range of materials and styles. Speaking to this range, Marc Newson’s plumply curvaceous 1988 Embryo chair, Jasper Morrison’s slightly arachnoid 1987 Thinking Man’s chair and Tom Dixon’s sculptural 1991 S-chair — each quite stylistically unique — remain some of the company’s most recognizable pieces, with the latter in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art.
Cappellini, now headquartered in Milan, continues to partner with guest designers across furniture, storage and lighting solutions, though many of its 1970s and ’80s designs remain its most coveted today.
Find vintage Cappellini furniture on 1stDibs.
- Pair of Marco Zanuso for Arflex 'Senior' Lounge Chairs, Italy, circa 1951By Arflex, Marco ZanusoLocated in New York, NYA pair of the iconic 'Senior' lounge chairs, designed by Marco Zanuso and manufactured by Arflex, in Italy, 1951. This pair have been fully restored and newly upholstered in our prof...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsFabric
- Pair of Adriano Piazzesi Italian 1970's Lounge ChairsBy Adriano PiazzesiLocated in New York, NYPair of Adriano Piazzesi Italian 1970's lounge chairs; the whole with channel and tufted upholstery, the sides and back are curved and covered in a warm brown Italian leather. The ch...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Lounge Chairs
MaterialsLeather, Fabric, Wood
- Pair of Sculptural Italian Vintage Lounge Chairs, Attributed to Gio PontiBy Gio PontiLocated in New York, NYA very elegant pair of Italian vintage mid century modern lounge chairs; their highly sculptural shape is complemented by custom originally designed brass nail heads. Beautifully pro...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsBrass
- José Zanine Caldas Attributed Pair of "Zeca" Lounge Chairs, Brazil, circa 1960By José Zanine CaldasLocated in New York, NYThe “Zeca” armchair was designed by the pioneering Brazilian designer, Jose Zanine Caldas. Made of solid wood, this armchair was named after the childhoo...Category
Vintage 1960s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsBouclé, Wood
- Pair of Italian Sculptural Faux Shearling Lounge Chairs, Italy, circa 1960Located in New York, NYPair of Northern Italian sculptural armchairs, the arms elegantly splayed, the whole newly upholstered in a creamy white faux shearling, with chic black metal and brass tapered legs....Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsBrass
- Pair of Oak Upholstered Armchairs by Raffaella CrespiBy Raffaella CrespiLocated in New York, NYPair of oak armchairs attributed to Raffaella Crespi; the uniquely rounded shaped arms, entirely upholstered as well as the seat and back all supported on a simple structure made of ...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Armchairs
MaterialsOak
- Banana armchairs by Tom Dixon for Cappellini, 1980By Tom Dixon, CappelliniLocated in JASSANS-RIOTTIER, FRSet of 2 armchairs by Tom Dixon for Cappellini in 1980 Banana model, iconic piece Structure in black lacquered metal, seat/armrests/backrest in strawCategory
Late 20th Century Italian Armchairs
MaterialsMetal
- Tom Dixon for Cappellini Pair of "Banana" Stools, Italy 1980sBy Cappellini, Tom DixonLocated in Naples, ITPair of stools from the "Banana Chair" series. Anthracite gray metal and banana fiber frame. Prod. Cappellini 1980sCategory
Vintage 1980s Italian Mid-Century Modern Stools
MaterialsMetal
- Mid-Century Modern Banana Chair by Tom Dixon for Capellini, 1980sBy Tom DixonLocated in Brussels, BEMid-Century Modern Banana Chair by Tom Dixon for Capellini, 1980sCategory
Vintage 1980s Armchairs
MaterialsMetal
- Tom Dixon S-Chair with Marsh Wicker Upholstery for CappelliniBy Cappellini, Tom DixonLocated in New York, NYThe iconic S-chair by Tom Dixon is an object with an artisanal core, successfully transformed into an authentic Industrial masterpiece, without losing the essence of the original pro...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs
MaterialsSteel
- Tom Dixon S-Chair with Marsh Straw Upholstery for CappelliniBy Cappellini, Tom DixonLocated in New York, NYThe iconic S-chair by Tom Dixon is an object with an artisanal core, successfully transformed into an authentic Industrial masterpiece, without losing the essence of the original pro...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs
MaterialsSteel
- Tom Dixon S-Chair with Marsh Straw or Wicker Upholstery for CappelliniBy Cappellini, Tom DixonLocated in New York, NYThe iconic S-chair by Tom Dixon is an object with an artisanal core, successfully transformed into an authentic industrial masterpiece, without losing the essence of the original pro...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs
MaterialsSteel
From $1,945 / item
Recently Viewed
View AllRead More
How Tom Dixon Became a Design Powerhouse without Formal Training
Dixon's eponymous London-based brand is known for its distinctive furniture and lighting, but his creativity is boundless.
The Married Collectors behind Stockholm’s Newest Design Museum
Kersti Sandin and Lars Bülow want their new endeavor to educate both students and professionals about furniture design.