Mies Van der Rohe was born in Germany in 1886. At the age of 19 he moved to Berlin, and starting working with the art nouveau architect and furniture designer Bruno Paul. Just a year later, he received his first commission for an architectural design for a local philosopher's home. Over the next 10 years he studied the works of Frank Lloyd Wright and Karl Friedrich Schinkel. By 1912, he had his own studio in Berlin.
In 1927 Mies Van der Rohe designed one of the design community's most famous buildings, The German Pavilion at the International Exposition in Barcelona Spain. In it contained one of interior design's most famous chairs, the Barcelona Chair. The Pavilion had a flat roof supported by columns, while the interior was constructed of glass and marble.
Mies Van der Rohe was Director of the Bauhaus School from 1930-1933. In 1937 he moved to Chicago where he became the Head of the architecture department at the Illinois institute of technology. During the next 15 years of his career, he designed skyscrapers for nearly every major American city.
Mies van der Rohe, designer of this cantilever cane armchair, is generally recognised as one of the founding fathers of Modernism, and the most purist of Modern architects. His work is characterised by a constructional clarity, free-flowing space and careful detailing, in accordance with his famous maxim "less is more." Mies van der Rohe ranks as one of the most important twentieth-century designers based on his range of designs - from the functional simplicity of the cantilever chairs to the luxurious comfort of the Barcelona Chair.
Exhibited for the first time with a leather back and seat at the Weissenhof in 1927, it was produced until 1930 by Berliner Metallgewerbe Joseph Mueller, and from 1931 by Bamberg Metalwerkstaatten, to which all the designs by Mies and Lily Reich were transferred. Within the same year, however, Mies stipulated a contract with Thonet Mundus of Zurich, which guaranteed the worldwide distribution of the products. The version with armrests of the model was exhibited at the Weissenhof in 1927.
Made in Italy.
Dimensions: H 31" x D 32 1/2" x W 20"; SH 18"
Materials: Tubular polished chrome armchair with seat and back in cane.
