By Marcel Breuer, Knoll
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A classic B33 cantilever chair designed by Marcel Breuer, featuring a polished chrome-plated tubular steel frame with natural canvas seat and backrest. The chair retains its original Knoll International label.
Originally designed by Breuer in the late 1920s, the B33 is an important example of Bauhaus and International Style furniture design, reflecting the period's experimentation with tubular steel and the elimination of conventional rear chair legs. The continuous cantilevered frame creates a remarkably light architectural profile while providing the subtle flexibility characteristic of this type of construction.
The natural canvas upholstery provides a warm contrast to the polished chrome frame. Particularly distinctive is the back, where the canvas panel is secured with exposed corset-style lacing, emphasizing the functional construction and machine-age aesthetic of the design.
Breuer's tubular steel furniture helped define the vocabulary of early European Modernism, and the B33 shares its design lineage with the cantilever furniture of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Mart Stam, as well as Modernist works by Le Corbusier and Charlotte Perriand. Its clean geometry makes the chair equally appropriate for Bauhaus, Mid-Century Modern, International Style, minimalist, contemporary, and industrial interiors.
The chair retains its vintage natural canvas upholstery, which shows discoloration, staining, marks, and wear from age and use. The chrome-plated tubular steel frame shows scratches, oxidation, finish losses, and other age-related wear. These condition details are clearly documented in the photographs. The chair is being offered in its existing vintage condition and would also be an excellent candidate for restoration or replacement of the canvas if desired.
Measurements: 31 in. H × 18.50 in. W × 24 in. D
Seat height: 18 in.
Designer: Marcel Breuer
Model: B33
Manufacturer: Knoll International
Materials: Chrome-plated tubular steel and canvas
A highly recognizable Marcel Breuer cantilever chair...
Category
1990s American Mid-Century Modern Canvas Seating