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Otto Zapf For Knoll Black High Back Leather Desk Chair
About the Item
Also referred as the pillow chair Otto Zapf conceived this chair originally for Knoll. It’s an executive chair with tilt and swivel functions but serves as a lounge chair also, especially when tilted. The original leather upholstery is still in good undamaged condition resting on a black/chrome base on casters. Adjustable seat. The chair has been checked by our restoration staff. The condition is good, the leather is in original condition with signs of wear. We have treated the leather with conditioner for staying in service many years to come.
Height: 38 in (96.52 cm)
Width: 26 in (66.04 cm)
Depth: 28 in (71.12 cm)
Otto Zapf was a renowned German designer and furniture designer known for his work with Knoll International, a major American furniture company. Zapf’s design approach was deeply rooted in modernist principles, emphasizing functionality, simplicity, and high-quality materials. While he worked on various projects over his career, his association with Knoll brought him to prominence in the 1950s and 1960s.
Zapf’s work for Knoll is often associated with the mid-century modern movement, which was characterized by clean lines, organic forms, and a minimalist aesthetic. He was one of several notable designers who worked with Knoll during this period, which also included other luminaries such as Eero Saarinen, Florence Knoll, and Harry Bertoia.
His pieces often reflected the era’s spirit of innovation and the growing trend of integrating modernist design with mass production techniques, which allowed for functional yet aesthetically striking furniture that could be more widely distributed.
- Creator:
- Dimensions:Height: 38 in (96.52 cm)Width: 28 in (71.12 cm)Depth: 26 in (66.04 cm)Seat Height: 18.9 in (48.01 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:circa 1975
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. The chair has been checked by our restoration staff at Derive-Vienna. The condition is very good, the leather is in original condition with minor signs of wear. We have treated the leather with conditioner.
- Seller Location:Vienna, AT
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU993543303832
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.
About the Seller
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