Plywood, stained brown
DDR, 1951
Design: Erich Menzel (1910-?) - German Bauhaus student and designer
Manufacturer: VEB Hellerau, Dresden
Chipless manufactured chair without screws or other metal fasteners
Height: 79 cm; 43.5 x 43.5 cm
Very good condition
One of the most famous and important chair designs of the communist era

The plywood chair model 50642 is probably the most significant design of the GDR era. The Bauhaus student Erich Menzel created it in 1950-51. The chair was made in a special process that enabled a chipless deformation of the plywood. 29 resin-impregnated wood layers could be processed in a special, material saving way. These kinds of considerations were essential due to the lack of resources in the GDR. Another feature was the connection of the two parts without screws or other metal fasteners. The chair was manufactured by VEB Hellerau, the successor company of the German workshops Hellerau in Dresden-Laubegast.



The chair is 79 cm and measures 43.5 x 43.5 cm. It is in very good original condition with some signs of age and wear.



Erich Menzel (1910-?)

The German engineer Erich Menzel used to work for the Bauhaus before the war. After the war, he took over the technical management of the German Workshop Hellerau, where he could develop his ideas and products in Eastern Germany. His probably most significant design is the first chipless deformed veneer chair.

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