Barcelona Chair by Mies van der Rohe for Knoll Inc.
View Similar Items
Barcelona Chair by Mies van der Rohe for Knoll Inc.
About the Item
- Creator:Ludwig Mies van der Rohe (Designer),Knoll (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 30.25 in (76.84 cm)Width: 29.5 in (74.93 cm)Depth: 30 in (76.2 cm)Seat Height: 17 in (43.18 cm)
- Style:Modern (Of the Period)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:2010
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Great original condition.
- Seller Location:Hudson, NY
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU84738524213
Ludwig Mies van der Rohe
Architect, furniture designer and educator, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe was a central figure in the advancement and promotion of modernist design and architectural theory and practice. Like Frank Lloyd Wright and Le Corbusier, he was a hugely influential presence in the field, who shaped the course of 20th-century architecture both through his buildings and his teaching of rationalist design principles.
Born in the medieval German city of Aachen, Mies found an interest in architecture as a boy while working for his father, a master stonemason. He had no formal education as an architect, but learned his skills as an apprentice to the designer Bruno Paul, and as a staffer in the office the proto-modernist architect and designer Peter Behrens. Following World War I, Mies rose to prominence in his field amid the liberal atmosphere of the Weimar Republic. His reputation was secured by his work on the German Pavilion at the 1929 International Exposition in Barcelona (commonly referred to as the Barcelona Pavilion) — which Mies codesigned with Lilly Reich, his creative and romantic partner — a radically simple, poetic, open-plan building pared down to its architectural essentials. Mies would go on to direct the Bauhaus from 1930 until 1933, when Nazi-government interference forced the closure of the progressive art and design school. Later that decade, he made his way to Chicago, where he remained for the rest of his career as a practicing architect and a dean of the Illinois Institute of Technology.
Mies’s famed dictum “less is more” grew from his belief that architecture both guides and expresses the spirit of the times, and he envisioned the 20th century as open-minded, logical, transparent and liberated by technology. His best-known buildings — residences such as the Villa Tugendhat in Czechoslovakia and the Farnsworth House in rural Illinois; skyscrapers like the 860–880 Lake Shore Drive apartment towers in Chicago and the Seagram Building in New York — reflect that philosophy. As do the most famous furniture designs authored by him or codesigned with Reich.
Pieces designed by Mies and Reich such as the Barcelona chair (the authorized version is produced by Knoll today), stools and daybed, or the cantilevered Brno chairs, deliver a maximum of comfort and support from a minimum of materials: their “lavishness” derives from the precision with which they are engineered and constructed. For the collector, the allure of Mies’s furniture is at once practical and idealistic. Useful and functional, his works embody the highest aspirations of modernism.
Find vintage Mies van der Rohe chairs, tables and other furniture on 1stDibs.
Knoll
As a company that produced many of the most famous and iconic furniture designs of the 20th century, Knoll was a chief influence in the rise of modern design in the United States. Led by Florence Knoll, the firm would draw stellar talents such as Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Eero Saarinen into its compass. Their work would help change the face of the American home and office.
The company was formed in 1938 by the German immigrant Hans Knoll. He first worked with his fellow ex-pat, the Danish designer Jens Risom, who created furniture with flowing lines made of wood. While Risom served in World War II, in 1943 Knoll met his future wife, Florence Schust. She had studied and worked with eminent emigré leaders of the Bauhaus, including Mies, Walter Gropius and Marcel Breuer. She won Knoll over with Bauhaus notions of industrial arts, and an aesthetic that featured flat and tubular metal frames and angular forms. When Hans died in a car crash in 1955, Florence Knoll was appointed head of the company. It was as much through her holistic approach to design — a core division of the firm was dedicated to planning office systems — as Knoll's mid-century modern furnishings themselves that she brought about the sleek and efficient transformation of the American workplace.
Today, classic Knoll furnishings remain staples of modern design collections and decor. A history of modern design is written in pieces such as the elegant Barcelona chair — created by Mies and Lilly Reich — Saarinen’s pedestal Tulip chair, Breuer’s tubular steel Wassily lounge chair and the grid-patterned Diamond chair by Harry Bertoia.
As you can see from the collection of these designs and other vintage Knoll dining chairs, sofas and tables on 1stDibs, this manufacturer's offerings have become timeless emblems of the progressive spirit and sleek sophistication of the best of modernism.
- Easy Chair by Elias Svedberg 1940'sBy Elias Svedberg, KnollLocated in Hudson, NYRare chair, curved back on birch legs. Distributed by Knoll in the 1940's for a few years. new upholstery made by NK original label restored reupholstered.Category
Vintage 1940s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsFabric
- Rare Stump Coffee Table by Lucia Mercer for KnollBy Lucia Mercer, KnollLocated in Hudson, NYExtremely rare coffee table version of Mercer's stump side table. Very few of these coffee tables were produced. Made of solid granite. Signed. Made by Knoll.Category
Late 20th Century American Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsGranite
- Alfred Christensen Easy Chair for Slagelse Møbelværk, 1940sBy Slagelse Mobelvaerk, Alfred ChristensenLocated in Hudson, NYEasy chair with solid beach arms and legs early design from Alfred Christensen Production catalogue from Slagelse Møbelværk no. 4401, 1944.Category
Vintage 1940s Danish Scandinavian Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsWood
- Limited Edition Rouge Knotted Chair by Marcel WandersBy MARCEL WANDERSLocated in Hudson, NYSmall easy chair, first designed in 1996, made in “knotted” carbon and aramide fiber cord, epoxy resin finish. Limited edition produced in 99 examples...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsCarbon Fiber
- Mario Bellini CAB 414Settee by Mario Bellini for CassinaBy Casina, Mario BelliniLocated in Hudson, NYArm chairs SOLD settee designed by Mario Bellini in 1979 for Cassina, Italy. Steel frame covered with a thick black leather. Stamped with Cassina logo.Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Modern Settees
MaterialsLeather
- Rare Custom Chair by Frits Henningsen 1930'sBy Frits HenningsenLocated in Hudson, NYRare design by Frits Henningsen and made by him 1930’s signed with design number and the date oak frame with cognac colour leather orly custom design.Category
Vintage 1930s Danish Lounge Chairs
MaterialsOak
- Mies van der Rohe for Knoll Barcelona Chair and StoolBy Knoll, Ludwig Mies van der RoheLocated in Dallas, TXMies van der Rohe's iconic Barcelona chair with stool. Stamped Knoll.Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsMetal
- Barcelona Chair by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe for KnollBy Ludwig Mies van der RoheLocated in Centreville, VAAs a rising figure of the modernist movement, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe was selected to design the German Pavilion for the 1929 International Exposition in Barcelona. Through masterf...Category
Vintage 1920s American Bauhaus Lounge Chairs
MaterialsChrome
- Eggplant Leather Barcelona Chair and Ottoman by Mies Van Der Rohe for KnollBy Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, KnollLocated in Dorchester, MADesigned in 1929, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe's Barcelona chair remains an icon of modernist chair design. This chair and ottoman, later Knoll productions, feature hand-polished premium...Category
20th Century American Bauhaus Lounge Chairs
MaterialsStainless Steel
- "Barcelona" Mies Van Der Rohe for Knoll 1970s Black Leather Lounge ChairBy Knoll, Ludwig Mies van der RoheLocated in Brescia, ITBlack leather in perfect condiction Upholstery in excellent condiction Chrome in excellent condiction "Knoll International" sticker label.Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsMetal
- Mies van der Rohe for Knoll Barcelona Chairs circa 1979 Pair AvailableBy Knoll, Ludwig Mies van der RoheLocated in Atlanta, GAIconic Barcelona Lounge Chairs, designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe for Knoll, American, circa 1979. Signed with Knoll labels underneath. The leather retains it's warm original pati...Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsMetal
- 1960s Mies van der Rohe for Knoll Barcelona Chair in Black Distressed LeatherBy Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, KnollLocated in Philadelphia, PAThis is a 1960s vintage Barcelona chair in distressed black leather with a polished stainless frame by Mies van der Rohe and produced by Knoll. This example came directly from Gratz Industries and was in their private collection. Gratz Industries produced the Barcelona chair frames...Category
Vintage 1960s American Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsSteel