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Frank Gehry Power Play Chair and Ottoman for Knoll

$9,500per set
£7,212.24per set
€8,249.26per set
CA$13,272.88per set
A$14,762.34per set
CHF 7,708.43per set
MX$179,641.94per set
NOK 98,448.46per set
SEK 92,327.29per set
DKK 61,567.40per set
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About the Item

Power play chair and ottoman designed by Frank Gehry for Knoll. Inspired by the surprising strength of the apple crates he played on as a child, Frank Gehry created his thoroughly original collection of bentwood furniture. The ribbon-like designs transcend the conventions of style by exploring, as the great modernists did, the essential challenge of deriving form from function. "Neither party knew what lay ahead when Frank Gehry came to Knoll in 1989 with an idea for a new generation of bentwood furniture inspired by the simple bushel basket. Despite the uncertainty, a studio was set up and, fueled by mutual optimism, the investigation began. “Everything I’ve always done has been a reaction against the usual expectations of the furniture market. I wanted the chair to come out of my own work, the shapes of my buildings… What the Knoll people first said to me was, ‘It probably won’t work, but maybe it will. You’ve been thinking about it. Something will come of it.’ All bentwood furniture until now has relied on a thick and heavy main structure and then an intermediary structure for the seating. The difference in my chairs is that structure and the seat are formed of the same incredibly lightweight slender wood strips, which serve both functions. What makes this all work and gives it extraordinary strength is the interwoven, basket-like character of the design… It really is possible to make bentwood furniture pliable, and springy and light.”* After three years of experimentation and exploration, the collection was debuted in the Frank Gehry: New Furniture Prototypes show at The Museum of Modern Art in New York. *From an interview originally run in Architectural Record (c) February 1992, The McGraw-Hill Companies
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 33 in (83.82 cm)Width: 31 in (78.74 cm)Depth: 30 in (76.2 cm)Seat Height: 16 in (40.64 cm)
  • Sold As:
    Set of 2
  • Materials and Techniques:
  • Period:
    1980-1989
  • Date of Manufacture:
    1988
  • Condition:
    Wear consistent with age and use.
  • Seller Location:
    Toronto, CA
  • Reference Number:
    1stDibs: LU934741215732

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