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.
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
$34,057
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 Isokon, Marcel Breuer, Luterma
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
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
$4,549
H 33.08 in W 55.12 in D 25.6 in
Marcel Breuer Isokon Chaise Longue for Knoll, Bauhaus, Germany, 1970
By Knoll, Marcel Breuer
Located in Argelato, BO
One of the most iconic and elegant chaise longues in the history of design, conceived in the 1930s by the great architect and designer Marcel Breuer . The sinuous frame is made of c...
Fabric, Plywood
$4,599
H 32.5 in W 24 in D 33 in
Mid Century Modern Sculptural Lounge Chair B-35 by Marcel Breuer ICF Germany
By Marcel Breuer
Located in Port Jervis, NY
Fabulous and iconic design by Marcel Breuer from the Bauhaus period of the late twenties. Cantilevered chrome arms with maple armrests which wrap around the wicker body in a continuous motion. This particular B-35 model is from c1970 and made in West Germany by ICF of New York. In excellent vintage condition with minimal wear, one arm rest has a loss of finish, very minor which we will to...
Steel, Chrome
Armchair in the style of Breuer for Thonet - circa 1990
By Marcel Breuer
Located in Linkebeek, BE
Modernist Armchair in the style of Breuer for Thonet - circa 1990 B35 Marcel Breuer - Thonet - chrome tubular Measures : 62,5x75cm H:88cm SH:34cm Materials : Beech - Chrome - Rattan...
Chrome
$7,585
H 33.08 in W 25.6 in D 32.68 in
Iconic B35 Lounge Chair and Hocker by Marcel Breuer for Thonet 1970
By Marcel Breuer
Located in Weesp, NL
Introducing a rare gem in Bauhaus design: an authentic B35 lounge chair and ottoman set, originally crafted in the 1920s by the iconic designer Marcel Breuer and produced in the 1970s by Thonet—the very first and original manufacturer of this stunning piece. This set represents the essence of modernist elegance with Breuer's unique blend of functionality and aesthetic purity. Breuer, a pioneer in furniture design, was known for his innovative use of tubular steel, inspired by bicycle frames...
Steel, Chrome
$2,345
H 30.31 in W 24.41 in D 1,000,000 in
Mid-Century Danish Teak Model 100 Rocking Chair by Søren Georg Jensen, 1960s
By Søren Georg Jensen
Located in Hamburg, DE
Rare Model 100 Rocking Chair by Danish manufacturers cube Møbler, designed by Søren Georg Jensen from the 60s. A rare emerging Jensen design. Unlike the common Jensen rocking chairs...
Wood, Teak
$1,983
H 31.5 in W 25.6 in D 25.2 in
Arne Hovmand-Olsen Danish Modern Scissor Lounge Chair in Teak + Beech, 1960s
Located in Copenhagen, DK
Rare Danish Modern Scissor Lounge Chair in Teak + Beech from 1960. This unique piece embodies mid-century design, showcasing craftsmanship and style in perfect harmony.
Teak
Bruno Mathsson Danish Modern Bentwood Eva Lounge Chair
By Bruno Mathsson
Located in Atlanta, GA
Sculptural Bentwood "Eva" Model Lounge Chair, designed by Bruno Mathsson, and signed underneath, Sweden, circa 1960s.
Upholstery, Beech
Arne Vodder Model 212 Danish Rosewood Dining Table by Sibast 1960s
By Arne Vodder, Sibast
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 Sideboard Coloured Drawers 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 ...
Laminate, Teak
Contemporary 2 Seater Sofa Curved Shape Boucle Blush Pink with Golden Metal Legs
Located in London, GB
Elevate your space with this stunning contemporary bouclé sofa, reminiscent of a 1950s Italian design with elegant curves. Upholstered in an elegant blush pink bouclé fabric and set...
Bouclé
Rosewood Drinks Cabinet / Cocktail Bar 1960s–1970s Vintage Mid-Century
Located in London, GB
Beautiful vintage mid 20th century drinks cabinet in a stunning rosewood veneer with striking natural grain and deep colouring. This stylish and striking piece stands on elegant ta...
Mirror, Rosewood
1950s Italian Brass Magazine Rack / Newspaper Holder with Red Vinyl
Located in London, GB
An elegant 1950s Italian magazine and newspaper holder featuring a sculptural brass frame with a striking red textured vinyl Panel. A beautiful example of mid-century Italian desig...
Brass
Italian 1950 Mirror Floor Mirror Osvaldo Borsani Original Glass, Art Deco Style
Located in London, GB
A striking 1950s Italian walnut floor standing mirror with original glass and elegant Art Deco influences, attributed to Osvaldo Borsani. This exceptionally rare piece draws inspira...
Walnut, Mirror
