LUDWIG MIES VAN DER ROHE (Germany, 1886 - USA, 1969).
Pair of "Barcelona" chairs, designed for the 1929 Barcelona International Exposition.
Stainless steel frame. Black leather straps. Seat and backrest with original period upholstery in black leather.
Edition from the 1960s-70s.
Shows signs of use, wear and tear. Two of the leather straps need restoration.
Measurements: 75 x 77 x 80 cm.
Stainless steel frame The Barcelona chair (model MR90) is a classic work of 20th century industrial design. Mies van der Rohe created it, together with the ottoman and the matching side table, for the German pavilion at the 1929 Barcelona International Exposition, a building which was itself a landmark in the architecture of the last century. The chairs were so admired that they were used as thrones for the King and Queen of Spain when they visited the Barcelona pavilion. They were seats with a structure made entirely of polished stainless steel, with the seat and backrest entirely covered in pigskin upholstery. Later, in 1950, some adjustments were made to the design for mass production. Van der Rohe based his creation, in his personal brand of modern classicism, on the "sella curulis", a type of seat used by Roman magistrates in antiquity. On the other hand, the visible joining of the frame and seat cushions as separate components, and the combined use of traditional and modern materials, appropriately matched to their function, eloquently reveal Mies' personal vision of international style. Today, both the Barcelona chair and the matching ottoman and side table are still produced by Knoll, the firm that bought the licence from the architect in 1953. The modern models are produced in two different steel configurations, and in various types of leather in different colours. Examples of the Barcelona chair can be found in important collections around the world, such as the MoMA in New York.
An architect and industrial designer, Mies van der Rohe trained with Bruno Paul and Peter Behrens, and opened his own studio in Berlin in 1912. Between 1930 and 1933 he directed the Bauhaus in Dessau, although the political situation in Germany forced him to emigrate to the United States shortly afterwards. There he continued his brilliant career, while at the same time teaching at the Illinois Technology Institute in Chicago. During his career he designed emblematic buildings, mainly in Germany and the United States, particularly his skyscrapers in New York and Chicago, the German Pavilion for the 1929 Barcelona International Exposition, and the NeueNationalgalerie in Berlin.