Marc Newson, "Micarta" Lounge Chair, Linen Phenolic Composite, Studio, 2006

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About the Item

A "Micarta chair", designed and produced by Marc Newson in 2006, Underside with a metal label signed and impressed 'Wingless/Micarta chair/Marc Newson/ 7 / 10. From an edition of 10 plus 1 prototype and 2 artist's proofs. This model chair was featured in the Marc Newson exhibition at Gagosian Gallery in 2007. The challenge of creating a chair out of a single uninterrupted material has preoccupied designers throughout the twentieth century. Bent plywood, glass, fiberglass, plastics have all been enlisted, with varying degrees of success. With the design of the present Micarta chair in 2006, Newson cleverly turned the familiar form of these experiments of the previous century inside out, placing a void between the seat and back, rather than the seat and base, implying a flexible seat that is in reality rigid. Like his later Extrusion works in marble appearing cut from a length, the Micarta chair suggests a cross-section. Its subtly striated rich brown tone presents at first as a polished hardwood, a trompe l’œil effect so often required of new materials in design history, from Formica® to Caesarstone®. This one takes it a step further, as its photosensitivity allows it to develop patina as a natural material might. But there is nothing superficial about Micarta, which combines fiber and resin to create a highly durable material used in a myriad of functional and decorative purposes, from warheads to knife handles. Micarta was developed by George Westinghouse in the early twentieth century, and, while no longer new, it has been re-developed and improved upon for decades. Newson, like Westinghouse, is a pioneer of engineering, materials and processes, though rather than inventing, he often re-visited or re-invented, once saying “…for me, ‘newness’ means taking something out of one context and putting it into another. Other contemporary studio designers of the period include Ron Arad, Shiro Kuramata and Claude & Francois-Xavier Lalanne.

Creator:
Marc Newson (Designer)
Dimensions:
Height: 29.5 in (74.93 cm)Width: 24.25 in (61.6 cm)Depth: 31.5 in (80.01 cm)
Style:
Modern (Of the Period)
Materials and Techniques:
Resin
Place of Origin:
United Kingdom
Period:
2000-2009
Date of Manufacture:
2006
Condition:
Wear consistent with age and use. Bears light patina.
Seller Location:
High Point, NC
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU3228119761162