Knoll Barcelona Chairs by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Leather, Stainless Steel

About the Item
- Creator:Ludwig Mies van der Rohe (Designer),Knoll (Manufacturer)
- Design:
- Dimensions:Height: 31 in (78.74 cm)Width: 30 in (76.2 cm)Depth: 30 in (76.2 cm)Seat Height: 17.5 in (44.45 cm)
- Style:Bauhaus (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:2000s
- Condition:Very few signs of use. Light scratches to the tops of the stainless steel legs which is normal with these. A great set of 4, ready to use.
- Seller Location:Kansas City, MO
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU1057034568662
Barcelona Chair
For the German Pavilion at the 1929 International Exposition in Barcelona, German-American architect and furniture maker Ludwig Mies van der Rohe (1886–1969) — in collaboration with his romantic partner, designer Lilly Reich (1885–1947) — created a chair fit for royalty. The Spanish king, Alfonso XIII, was expected to attend the opening of the World’s Fair, and as Mies later stated, the chair needed to be “monumental . . . you just couldn’t use a kitchen chair.” In its X-shaped structure, the Barcelona chair recalls the ancient folding stools of Egypt and Rome and was designed with swooping lines and a luxe contrast of materials between the chrome-plated frame and quilted leather cushions. Like the pavilion surrounding it, the chair distilled Mies’s “less is more” aphorism.
By all accounts, King Alfonso XIII never got around to sitting on this modern throne. The pavilion, too, stood for only seven months before it was demolished. Nevertheless, the Barcelona chair was regarded as a masterwork of modernism, influencing countless buildings that followed with its minimalist aesthetic of marble, glass and steel, which gracefully flowed together from the exterior to the interior spaces. Out of all the pavilion’s components, the Barcelona chair had the most longevity as a stand-alone piece.
Shortly after the close of the pavilion, the Barcelona chair went into production, first handcrafted by the Berliner Metallgewerbe studio. It became popular in private residences, debuting in America in 1930 in the New York apartment of architect Philip Johnson, who had met Mies during his work on the German Pavilion in Spain. Fleeing the Nazis’ rise to power in Germany, Mies, too, soon moved to the United States. He relocated to Chicago, where he became the director of the Illinois Institute of Technology in 1938. It was there that he met designer Florence Knoll, who would help bring the Barcelona chair into mass production.
The earliest models of the Barcelona chair from Knoll were released in 1947. The design company and furniture manufacturer made slight updates to the chair over the years in response to new technology, including in 1964 changing the frame to stainless steel. Prevalent in office lobbies and architects’ homes, the Barcelona chair has seen numerous imitators, so in 2004 Knoll finally received a federal trade dress protection for it and four other pieces by Mies. Knoll continues to produce the chair, and although the 21st-century version differs slightly from the 1929 original, it still embodies Mies and Reich's vision of design elegance in its balance of function and form.
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.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Kansas City, MO
- Return Policy
A return for this item may be initiated within 3 days of delivery.
- Rare Pre Knoll Production Barcelona Coffee Table by Mies van der Rohe, 1955By Ludwig Mies van der RoheLocated in Kansas City, MORare, early and historically significant Barcelona coffee table produced by Gerry Griffith in 1955 for Ludwig Mies van der Rohe in Chicago prior to production by Knoll. His versions ...Category
Vintage 1950s American Bauhaus Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsChrome
- Barcelona Coffee Table by Mies van der Rohe for Knoll, Early 1960s ProductionBy Ludwig Mies van der RoheLocated in Kansas City, MOEarly 1960s Ludwig Mies van der Rohe Barcelona coffee table. Solid stainless steel frame with the original glass top. No chips...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsStainless Steel
- Pantonova Chair and Ottoman by Verner Panton, Chrome Steel and Cognac LeatherBy Fritz Hansen, Verner PantonLocated in Kansas City, MOWedge shaped chair and ottoman designed by Verner Panton for his Pantonova Series manufactured by Fritz Hansen. Completely original including the cognac / camel color leather cusions...Category
Vintage 1970s Danish Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsChrome
- Pair of Milo Baughman Black Leather & Brushed Steel Lounge Chairs. SignedBy Thayer Coggin, Milo BaughmanLocated in Kansas City, MOBlack leather and brushed steel lounge chairs with arms designed by Milo Baughman and made by Thayer Coggin. These are newer production and appear to have had very little use. No tea...Category
2010s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsChrome
- LC3 Arm Chair by Le Corbusier for Cassina, Chrome with Black Canvas UpholsteryBy Le Corbusier, Pierre Jeanneret, Charlotte Perriand Cassina, CassinaLocated in Kansas City, MOClassic, Timeless, original LC 3 Lounge Chair designed by Le Corbusier, Pierre Jeanneret, Charlotte Perriand and produced by Cassina, Italy. This example was produced within the last...Category
2010s Italian Bauhaus Lounge Chairs
MaterialsChrome
- Pair Jens Risom Armless Lounge Chairs. Maple with Red Webbing. Signed.By Knoll, Jens RisomLocated in Kansas City, MOPair of Jens Risom lounge chairs from his original 1941 design collection for Knoll. These are more recent production, signed with the Knoll Studio medallion. These have been used ...Category
2010s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsNylon, Maple
- Ludwig Mies van der Rohe ‘Barcelona’ Chair for Knoll International Set / 3By Knoll, Ludwig Mies van der RoheLocated in Amstelveen, NoordThis chair (model 250L) was designed by Mies van der Rohe together with interior designer Lilly Reich for the German pavilion of the 1929 World Fair in Barcelona. This chair was also...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsChrome
- 2013 Pair of Mies van der Rohe Knoll Stainless Steel Barcelona ChairsBy Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, KnollLocated in Philadelphia, PAThis is a very special pair of 2013 production Barcelona lounge chairs, designed by Mies van der Rohe and produced by Knoll. The labels on the chairs make note of the model 250LS, wh...Category
2010s American Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsSteel
- Knoll Mies Van Der Rohe Pair of Barcelona Chairs/ Stainless Steel FramesBy Knoll, Ludwig Mies van der RoheLocated in Philadelphia, PAPair of Ludwig Mies Van der Rohe Black Leather and Stainless Steel Barcelona Chairs. All seat straps have been replaced and Leather Cushions are in nice shape. Dated 1976 on label. Stainless Steel frames are very nice with minimal signs of wear. Stainless Steel is the Original Preferred material unlike newer chrome models that have a shine. Check out my separate listing for a pair of Barcelona...Category
Vintage 1970s American International Style Lounge Chairs
MaterialsStainless Steel
- Knoll by Ludwig Mies Van der Rohe & Lilly Reich Black Leather Barcelona ArmchairBy Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Lilly Reich, KnollLocated in London, GBOriginally designed by Ludwig Mies Van der Rohe and Lilly Reich in 1925 and introduced at the Internal Exposition hosted in Barcelona in 1929, the Barcelona chair has since become on...Category
Vintage 1920s Italian Lounge Chairs
MaterialsLeather
- Knoll by Ludwig Mies Van der Rohe & Lilly Reich Black Leather Barcelona ArmchairBy Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Lilly Reich, KnollLocated in London, GBOriginally designed by Ludwig Mies Van der Rohe and Lilly Reich in 1925 and introduced at the Internal Exposition hosted in Barcelona in 1929, the Barcelona chair has since become on...Category
Vintage 1920s Italian Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsLeather
- Eggplant Leather Barcelona Chair and Ottoman by Mies Van Der Rohe for KnollBy Knoll, Ludwig Mies van der RoheLocated 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
Recently Viewed
View AllThe 1stDibs Promise
Learn MoreExpertly Vetted Sellers
Confidence at Checkout
Price-Match Guarantee
Exceptional Support
Buyer Protection
Trusted Global Delivery