Design classics by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe
The seating furniture designed for the German pavilion at the World Exhibition in Barcelona at the end of the 1920s deserves to be called classics. On the one hand, because the ensemble of the light pavilion made the undercooled style of living - later called "International Style" - known worldwide. Secondly, because there are historical references to antiquity. Greek folding chairs (scissor chairs or elevators as thrones for deities and rulers) probably served as inspiration. In a way, it is a modern throne (without the folding function).
In fact, the MR 90 already fulfilled highly representative purposes in its original context: it was intended to serve as a royal chair during the opening ceremony of the World Exhibition in Barcelona .
This concept stands in contrast to the social, even socialist goals that numerous protagonists of "Neues Bauen" advocated at the time. Ludwig Mies van der Rohe used strip steel and leather upholstery at the World's Fair in ceremonial white. The armchair Barcelona was a luxury piece of furniture and, moreover, hardly suitable for the series. The frame had to be painstakingly welded by hand, which is why the armchair was only produced in a modified version from 1948. Nevertheless, it was an extremely innovative design that expanded the repertoire of modernism. The separate, identically sized and individually removable seat and back cushions "fall" into the desired position by themselves. The armchair gains its visual appeal not least from the contrast between the curved frame and the rather static-looking leather blocks.
More details:
- Features: A signed piece of KnollStudio furniture manufactured according to Mies van der Rohe's original specifications. In 1953, the designer granted Knoll the exclusive manufacturing and distribution rights. A children's version of the Barcelona armchair is also available. The KnollStudio logo and the signature of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe are embossed into every piece of furniture.
- Structure: The chrome-plated frame is highly polished by hand. Each cushion consists of 40 individual pieces of leather, which are hand-cut from a single hide and sewn by hand and finished with piping and buttons. The visible side of the straps is dyed to match the upholstery.
- Finishes: Available in various Spinneybeck leathers. The frame is chrome-plated and polished.
- Awards: Award from the Museum of Modern Art, 1977