The architect and designer Marcel Breuer was one the 20th century’s most influential and innovative adherents of modernism. A member of the Bauhaus faculty, Breuer — like such colleagues as the architects Walter Gropius and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, and the artists and art theoreticians László Moholy-Nagy and Josef Albers — left Europe in the 1930s to champion the new design philosophy and its practice in the United States.
Born in Hungary, Breuer became a Bauhaus student in 1920 and quickly impressed Gropius, the German school’s founder, with his aptitude for furniture design. His early work was influenced by the minimalist Dutch design movement De Stijl — in particular the work of architect Gerrit Rietveld.
In 1925, while he was head of the Bauhaus furniture workshop, Breuer realized his signature innovation: the use of lightweight tubular-steel frames for chairs, tables and sofas — a technique soon adopted by Mies and others. Breuer’s attention gradually shifted from design to architecture, and, at the urging of Gropius, he joined his mentor in 1937 on the faculty of Harvard and in an architectural practice.
In the 1940s, Breuer opened his own architectural office, and there his style evolved from geometric, glass-walled structures toward a kind of hybrid architecture — seen in numerous Breuer houses in New England — that pairs bases of local fieldstone with sleek, wood-framed modernist upper floors. In his later, larger commissions, Breuer worked chiefly with reinforced concrete and stone, as seen in his best-known design, the brutalist inverted ziggurat built in New York in 1966 as the home of the Whitney Museum of American Art.
Breuer’s most famous furniture pieces are those made of tubular steel, which include the Wassily chair — named after Wassily Kandinsky and recognizable for its leather-strap seating supports — and the caned Cesca chair.
Breuer also made several notable designs in molded plywood, including a chaise and nesting table for the British firm Isokon and a student furniture suite commissioned in 1938 for a dormitory at Bryn Mawr College. Whether in metal or wood, Breuer’s design objects are elegant and adaptable examples of classic modernist design — useful and appropriate in any environment.
Find vintage Marcel Breuer seating, storage cabinets and lighting on 1stDibs.
$3,950
H 26 in W 30 in D 56 in
1960s Marcel Breuer for Knoll Isokon Chaise Lounge Chair New White Upholstery
By Marcel Breuer, Knoll
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Listed for sale is an original 1960s Marcel Breuer for Isokon chaise lounge chair. This example has just been masterfully reupholstered by Forthright NYC...
Fabric
Marcel Breuer Isokon Loung Chair
By Marcel Breuer
Located in Oosterbeek, NL
Marcel Breuer famously designed innovative wood bent furniture before his metal tubular designs. This Chaise longue or ‘Long Chair’ was designed for Isokon Comapny England in the 196...
Plywood
Modernist Classic Marcel Breuer Chaise Longue "Isokon" 1970s
By Knoll, Marcel Breuer
Located in Renens, CH
The Isokon Chaise Longue was originally created by Marcel Breuer during the late 1930s from his refuge in England, for the British firm Isokon. It was later produced under license by...
Plywood
1960s Wassily B3 Lounge Chair in Leather by Marcel Breuer
By Marcel Breuer, Gavina
Located in Philadelphia, PA
These are original Wassily B3 Lounge Chairs, initially designed by Marcel Breuer in 1925. These particular examples were produced by Gavina in Italy in the 1960s and were imported an...
Steel, Chrome
$7,295 / set
H 28.75 in W 31 in D 27 in
Pair of Early 1960s Knoll Wassily Lounge Chairs by Marcel Breuer
By Marcel Breuer, Knoll
Located in Portland, OR
Original Knoll stickers intact! Pair of 1960’s Wassily Chairs production by Knoll International. The chairs have the original Knoll stickers and feature a gorgeous patina only achiev...
Chrome
$33,816
H 31.11 in W 51.97 in D 24.22 in
1st Production Marcel Breuer Long Chair for Isokon 1935/36 moulded bent plywood
By Luterma, Isokon, Marcel Breuer
Located in Uxbridge, GB
Marcel Breuer 'Long Chair', 1935/36 Laminated birch frame, bent plywood seat and back Width - 132cm - 52 inches Depth - 61.5cm - 24¼ inches Height - 79cm - 31 inches Seat Height (Lowest Point) 18cm - 7 inches Made by Luterma, Estonia for Isokon, UK. A rare and historically significant example of the Isokon Long Chair...
Birch, Plywood
$3,000 / item
H 28.75 in W 31 in D 27 in
1960s Wassily Chairs by Marcel Breuer for Gavina / Knoll in Original Canvas
By Marcel Breuer, Knoll, Gavina
Located in Philadelphia, PA
These are original Wassily Lounge Chairs, model B3, initially designed by Marcel Breuer in 1925. These particular examples were produced by Gavina in Italy in the 1960s, and were imp...
Steel, Chrome
B3 Wassily Chair by Marcel Breuer
By Marcel Breuer
Located in Miami, FL
B3 wassily chair by marcel breuer for gavina, italy 1960’s The Wassily Lounge Chair was designed by Marcel Breuer. Made in off-white canvas with chromed t...
Steel, Chrome
Mid Century Wassily Chair By Marcel Breuer
By Marcel Breuer
Located in Chino Hills, CA
For sale is a genuine mid-century Wassily Chair, a remarkable piece from the iconic designer Marcel Breuer. This chair is a testament to the enduring appeal of mid-century design, sh...
Chrome
$5,000 / item
H 28.75 in W 28.75 in D 27 in
1960s Marcel Breuer for Gavina / Knoll Wassily Lounge Chair in Linen
By Marcel Breuer
Located in Philadelphia, PA
This is a Wassily Lounge Chair, Model B3, originally designed by Marcel Breuer in 1925. These particular examples date back to the 1960s. Their design features rare 100% linen uphols...
Steel, Chrome
Danish Dining Chairs by Niels O. Möller, Rosewood & Leather, 1960s
By Neils O. Möller
Located in London, GB
A rare pair of Mid 20th Century Danish dining chairs fully restored with black leather seats and Rosewood frames, Model no. 78s These elegant dining chairs were designed by Niels Ot...
Leather, Rosewood
Vintage 1970s Johan Bertil Häggström “Borkum” Lounge Chair Leather & Chrome
By Johan Bertil Häggström
Located in London, GB
A fantastic original 1970s Scandinavian lounge chair designed by Johan Bertil Häggström, model “Borkum.” This piece perfectly captures the bold and comfortable design style of the 19...
Chrome
Arne Vodder Model 212 Danish Rosewood Dining Table by Sibast 1960s
By Sibast, Arne Vodder
Located in London, GB
Model 212 dining table designed by Arne Vodder and produced by Sibast Møbler in Denmark during the 1960s. This elegant Scandinavian oval shaped table is crafted in richly figured ros...
Rosewood
Mid Century Teak Coloured Drawers Sideboard by Maple & Co., England, Circa 1960s
By Maple & Co.
Located in London, GB
A beautifully proportioned mid century modern Teak sideboard dating to circa, 1960's by Maple & Co, made in England, This rare piece features a classic sleek architectural form with...
Laminate, Teak
La Colère des Hespérides, Abstract Oil on Canvas, 1958, 100x81 cm
By Pierre Alexandre Graziani
Located in London, GB
A Rare Pierre Alexandre Graziani (French, 1932–2020) 'La Colère des Hespérides' 1958 Oil on unframed canvas - Signed and dated lower right “Graziani ’58” Dimensions: Height: 100 c...
Canvas
Robin Day Dining Table for Hille, Blue Top, Elm Base, 1950s
By Robin Day, Hille
Located in London, GB
A rare and highly desirable table designed by Robin Day for Hille Of London in the 1950s, featuring an original blue laminated top—an uncommon example of its kind and visually striki...
Laminate, Beech
