The Barcelona Chair
achieves the quality of line and the refinement of proportions and materials
characteristic of Mies van der Rohe's highly architectural skills. The
Barcelona, chair which is attributed to the great modernist master Ludwig Mies
van der Rohe the chair was originally designed for the German Pavilion at the
International Exposition of 1929 in Barcelona. The Barcelona chair is supported
on each side by two chrome-plated, flat steel bars. Seen from the side, the
single curve of the bar forming the chair's back and front legs crosses the
S-curve of the bar forming the seat and back legs, making an intersection of
the two. This simple shape derives from a long history of precedents, from
ancient Egyptian folding stools to nineteenth-century neoclassical seating. The
cantilevered seat and the back of the original chairs were upholstered in white
kid leather with welt and button details. The Barcelona Chair is comprised
mainly of chromed steel or stainless steel flat strips, that are welded together,
to form a strong frame. High grade steel and stainless steel is used, as this
will ensure that the chair survives many years of use. In 1950 Mies van der
Rohe redesigned the Barcelona Chair, so he could use stainless steel, a
material that was completely new back then. Stainless steel is an alloy of iron
and carbon, with a minimum of 10.5 percent of chromium. It is resistant to rust
and corrosion, making it ideal for the manufacture of high quality Barcelona
Chairs. The original chair, each side frame was manufactured from two pieces of
steel welded together and then ‘bolted’ together. Moreover, during the 1950s
stainless steel was used also for the construction of the frames. The adoption
of stainless steel meant that the frame could be manufactured in one piece,
without joint lines. It was mass produced in 1950s by ‘Knoll’ furniture
manufacturers and this continues today. Each cushion is manufactured from forty
individual pieces of leather. Each square is individual cut to size. The
buttons hold the patch work of leather squares together. The piping between
each button is also made of separate pieces. The buttons are hand stitched in
position. From the side, the frame of the chair has a scissor form, a sign of
power from ancient Egyptian times. manufactured from two pieces of steel welded
together. The welds are hand finished to a polished finish. The frame is them
chromed, a relatively new technique as applied to furniture in 1929.
The fact that the
frame Barcelona Chair is now made of stainless steel also meant that the legs
could be made of one solid piece of metal. Mies van der Rohe was a Bauhaus
designer, someone who believed in producing functional furniture which was
ready for mass production. The odd about this fact is that the Barcelona chair
is completely unfit for mass production right now and an authentic version of
the chair is very expensive. In 1953, six years after Mies van der Rohe’s
partner Reich passed away, the company Knoll Inc. started with the production
of the Barcelona Chair. The frame is available in chrome and stainless steel
and the cushions are available in different colors and leather types.
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